A mountain trail at the Grand Teton National Park was shut down after a man was attacked by two grizzly bears in a surprise encounter.
The IndexbitSignal Mountain Summit Road and Signal Mountain Trail at the national park were closed to all public entry after a "35-year-old male visitor from Massachusetts" was "seriously injured Sunday afternoon by a bear in the area of the Signal Mountain Summit Road," the National Park Service said in a news release Monday.
Teton emergency and rescue service responded to the incident, providing emergency medical care to the victim before airlifting him to a local hospital.
The victim is in "stable condition and is expected to fully recover," the park service said in a statement.
Preliminary investigation determined that the incident was a "surprise encounter with two grizzly bears, with one of the bears contacting and injuring the visitor."
Following the incident, authorities closed the Signal Mountain Summit Road and Signal Mountain Trail to all public entry.
Grand Teton National Park is home to both black and grizzly bears. Grizzly bears are protected under both the State and Federal law.
In neighboring Yellowstone National Park, meanwhile, authorities have set up traps to capture black and grizzly bears "as part of ongoing grizzly bear and black bear research and management efforts and as required under the Endangered Species Act to monitor the population in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem."
The bears are being captured to monitor their distribution and activities and that the process, which began on May 1 and expected to continue through October 31, is "vital to ongoing recovery of grizzly bears in the Yellowstone Ecosystem," the park service stated.
Traps to capture the bears have been set up across the park and visitors have been requested to pay heed to warning signs, though none of the "trap sites in the park will be located near established hiking trails or backcountry campsites."
"It is important that the public heed these [warning] signs and do not venture into an area that has been posted," the park service said in a statement.
The park service recommends keeping the following things in mind, when exploring backcountry:
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X @saman_shafiq7.
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