List of fatal bear attacks in North America
Name , age , gender Date Type Location Description
Harley Seivenpiper , 40 , male November 4 , 1988 Wild Port Alexander , Alaska Seivenpiper was killed while hunting alone . The bear dragged Seivenpiper 's body almost 1-mile ( 1.6 km ) uphill to a cache . When searchers approached the cache , the bear charged , and was shot and killed
Gary Goeden , 29 , male July 28 , 1987 Wild Glacier National Park , Montana Goeden 's partially consumed remains were found at Natahki Lake , Many Glacier Valley , Glacier National Park . He was on a solo hike , and off-trail
Charles Gibbs , 40 , male April 25 , 1987 Wild Glacier National Park , Montana Gibbs was last seen alive following and photographing a bear with cubs at Elk Mountain in Glacier National Park . Investigators recovered film of the female approaching in attack mode at 50 yards ( 46 m )
William Tesinsky , 38 , male October 5 , 1986 Wild Yellowstone National Park , Wyoming Tesinkey , a photographer , was mauled after approaching a bear in the Otter Creek area of Hayden Valley , Yellowstone National Park . The bear was killed
Brigitta Fredenhagen , 25 , female July 30 , 1984 Wild Yellowstone National Park Fredenhagen was dragged from her tent during the night and killed at a backcountry campsite at the southern end of White Lake in Yellowstone National Park
Roger May , 23 , male June 25 , 1983 Wild Gallatin National Forest , Montana May was dragged from his tent , and eaten at the Rainbow Point campground , northwest of Yellowstone National Park . The bear was captured and killed with an injection of poison
Laurence Gordon , 33 , male September 30 , 1980 Wild Glacier National Park , Montana Gordon was killed at the Elizabeth Lake campsite in the Belly River Valley , Glacier National Park
Ernest Cohoe , 38 , male August 24 , 1980 Wild near Banff , Alberta While fishing with a friend just north of Banff , Alberta , a bear charged and bit off part of Cohoe 's face . He died a week later as a result of the injuries
Jane Ammerman , 19 , female Kim Eberly , 19 , male July 24 , 1980 Wild Glacier National Park , Montana The partially consumed bodies of Ammerman and Eberly were found near their campsite at Divide Creek in the St. Mary Valley . The bear was later killed by Native American hunters
1980s -- Brown bear
Fatal bear attacks in North America have occurred in a variety of settings. There have been several in the bears' wilderness habitats involving hikers, hunters, and campers. Brown bear incidents have occurred in their native range spanning Alaska, Northern and Western Canada, and portions of the Rocky Mountains in the United States. The locations of black bear wilderness fatal attacks reflect their wider range: all Canadian Provinces except the Atlantic Provinces and several major mountainous areas in the United States. Bears held captive by animal trainers, in zoos, carnivals, or kept as pets have been responsible for several attacks. There have also been unusual cases in which a person entered a bear's cage and was then mauled. Bear attacks are rare in North America. Attacks are for predatory, territorial, or protective reasons. Most wilderness attacks have occurred when there were only one or two people in the vicinity. In this list, three species of bear are recognized: the brown bear (Ursus arctos, commonly known as the grizzly bear), the American black bear (Ursus americanus), and the polar bear (Ursus maritimus).