Grizzly bear found dead along Wyoming hiking trail — and officials want answers
A grizzly bear was found shot dead along a Wyoming backpacking trail, and wildlife officials want to find whoever is responsible.
The grizzly was found dead along the Deep Lake Trail in Park County in May “with an apparent fatal gunshot wound,” the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a news release.
The federal wildlife agency and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department are seeking the public’s help and offering a reward for information that leads to the arrest or charges filed against whoever is responsible, officials said.
The amount of the reward will reflect the information given, officials said.
“Many of our law enforcement investigations are solved because people who see unlawful activities reach out to us or their local game warden,” officials said. “In tandem to this community effort, we established the use of financial rewards to people who provide critical information. This program allows us to thank everyday people who help us investigate and stop these crimes, all while protecting their anonymity in the process.”
Anyone with information regarding the dead grizzly — or any other wildlife crimes — can call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Cody at 307-527-7604 or the Wyoming Game and Fish Department regional office in Cody at 307-527-7125. The federal agency “will apply applicable legal protections to anyone providing information used during the investigation.”
Deep Lake Trail is in the northwestern corner of Wyoming near Yellowstone National Park.
