Montana wildlife officials have halted efforts to capture a grizzly bear that killed a woman Saturday morning just outside Yellowstone National Park.
Morgan Jacobsen with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks says no signs of the bear have been found since the day of the attack, including no success with baited traps made from metal culverts.
Jacobsen says game wardens will continue patrolling the area for at least another week as a precaution with National Forest lands surrounding the site closed until August 25th barring further notice.
48-year old Amie Adamson was killed while running or hiking alone on a forest trail about 8 miles west of Yellowstone.
Jacobsen says the bear was traveling with one or more cubs and apparently struck Adamson during a surprise encounter before fleeing the area.
He says the available information suggests the attack was defensive behavior that’s completely normal and natural for grizzly bears, adding that we may never know for sure because there are no witnesses and the bear remains at large.