Last Tuesday onlookers were able to see a unique Yellowstone sight, a grizzly bear taking down a bull elk in the Yellowstone River.
The elk appeared to be suffering from a broken leg, according to For The Win Outdoors, perhaps enticing the grizzly bear to make the kill. After attacking the elk, the bear dragged it further into the water and drowned it. The bear then carved a section of the river shore to store the elk and keep it fresh and away from predators.
This was an event that is truly a reminder of the ferocity of our local grizzly bears and that you never know what you’ll see when passing through Yellowstone. While grizzly bear sightings are common in Yellowstone, it is not often that tourists are able to see such a dramatic and brutal event occur.
This event was especially remarkable because grizzly bears do not normally target bull elk, and a healthy bull elk would have been able to most likely outrun or fight off this grizzly.
Yellowstone grizzlies are protected under the Endangered Species Act, but there has been some controversy surrounding those federal protections in recent years.
Just this week, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon testified before a U.S. Senate committee that states should have a greater role in managing species protected under the act.
The photographer who originally captured the video of this grizzly kill also put together a follow-up compilation of still photos depicting the grizzly guarding its kill on the riverbank. Check out the video below.
