CANYON VILLAGE, Wyo., Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Two hikers were injured in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming when their group stumbled on a grizzly bear cub and then on its mother, park officials say.
The encounter occurred Thursday on the Cygnet Lakes Trail near Canyon Village, the National Park Service said in a statement. The hikers were the first people in Yellowstone to be injured by a bear this year.
Four hikers were a few miles down the trail, a flat path that goes to marshy lakes popular with wildlife observers, when they met the cub, born this year. A sow bear then appeared and charged the group.
The sow and cub left quickly after two hikers set off canisters of bear spray.
All four were able to hike out under their own power. One was treated for injuries in the park and the other taken by ambulance to a hospital for treatment of bite and claw injuries.
Rangers said the group had heeded warnings about bear encounters by hiking in a group of at least three people, carrying bear spray and making noise during their hike. Biologists say the sow appears to have been showing typical defensive behavior when taken by surprise.
Several hundred grizzly bears roam the park.
