The National Park Service said one or more bears were involved in the attack
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Yellowstone-National-Park-sign-050526-d00ccd638cb44042988b406e7b22a25f.jpg "Yellowstone National Park sign")
Credit: Jon G. Fuller/VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Two hikers were injured in a bear attack near Yellowstone’s Old Faithful geyser
- Park officials said grizzly and black bears inhabit the area, but did not confirm the species involved
- This is the first bear-related injury in Yellowstone this season
Two hikers in Wyoming were left injured after a bear attack on a hiking trail in Yellowstone National Park.
On Monday, May 4, the hikers were traveling along the national park’s Mystic Falls Trail near Old Faithful geyser, according to a news release by the National Park Service (NPS).
The attack was described as a single event, but the incident remains under investigation, rangers said.
Park officials said one or more bears were involved, but did not specify which species. The area typically is home to grizzly bears and black bears, the NPS said.
Park rangers didn’t specify the extent of the hikers’ injuries.
Following the attack, the area near the Midway Geyser Basin was temporarily closed. This marks the first time a bear has injured a person in Yellowstone this season, rangers said.
The last time a bear in the national park injured a visitor was last September, per the NPS.
Last September, a 29-year-old solo hiker was traveling on the Turbid Lake Trail in the northeast of Mary Bay in Yellowstone Lake, according to a news release from the NPS at the time.
Around 2.5 miles from the Pelican Valley Trailhead, the man encountered a bear, the NPS said.
He was able to deploy his bear spray when the animal made contact, howeer he suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries to his chest and left arm, rangers said.
Once rangers found the hiker and walked him back to the trailhead, he was sent to the Lake Medical Clinic by ambulance before being airlifted to a nearby hospital.
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The National Park Service did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for additional information on Tuesday, May 5.