A Montana man has died days after he was mauled by a grizzly bear while he was fishing alone in an area outside Yellowstone National Park.
What are the details?
The Associated Press reported that backcountry guide Charles “Carl” Mock, 40, of West Yellowstone was attacked Thursday while in a forested area along the Madison River, and sustained “significant scalp and facial wounds.”
He passed away in a hospital on Saturday from a stroke, which KIFI-TV reported was “a bit of a shock” to both doctors and Mock’s family after he appeared to have been recovering well after undergoing two surgeries.
Mock was able to call 911 for help after the mauling, and was found in less than an hour. He was transported via toboggan and snowmobile before he was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Idaho Falls.
Officials discovered a moose carcass roughly 50 yards from where Mock was attacked, leading them to believe the bear might have been defending the carcass.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesperson Morgan Jacobsen told the AP that Mock had bear spray on his person during the attack and that the safety tab on the device had been pulled, but authorities do not know if he was able to use it to defend himself.
Jacobsen said that an older male grizzly was killed Friday “after it charged a group of seven game wardens and other personnel as they approached the scene of the attack.” The bear, which officials are confident is the one that attacked Mock, was fired at by several people before it dropped 20 yards from the group.
Grizzly mauling near Yellowstone kills backcountry guide
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Anything else?
A GoFundMe page created to assist with Mock’s medical bills said that he had “such passion for outdoors, hiking, fishing, photography, and is a beloved guide to countless visitors in Yellowstone.”
The organizer provided an update following his passing:
We would like to let you know that early this morning Carl suffered a massive stroke and sadly, he didn’t make it through. This comes as a terrible shock and is heartbreaking to everyone, since both the surgeries went so well. We will keep you updated with the service information as the plans are made. All of the money that is being donated on this page and in the cans throughout town will be given to the family to help cover the medical bills and funeral costs. We appreciate the continued support from this community to help ease these financial burdens for Carl’s family.