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In the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the hiker was likely killed by a bear attack, according to the autopsy results.

Karen Chavez is an American of Mexican descent.

According to an autopsy report obtained by the USA TODAY Citizen Times newspaper from the North Carolina Chief Medical Examiner's Office in August. On January 18, a tourist hiker found dead in Great Smoky Mountains National Park last year was most likely killed by a 43-year-old black bear seen picking up remains. old

On September 11, 2020, tourists discovered the remains of Patrick Madura near the isolated area of ​​Hazel Creek where he was camping.

Travelers spotted an unattended tent at Hazel Water Campsite 82, then found the remains of a man digging into a bear by a creek and notified park rangers, according to a National Park Service report.

Smoky Mountain bear attack ruled likely cause of camper's death

According to park resource manager Lisa McInnis, law enforcement rangers shot a 240-pound bear that was actively picking up leftovers out of concern when they noticed it was actively picking up leftovers.

However, park officials and biologists at the time declined to speculate that the bear killed the tourist from Elgin, Illinois, citing the need to wait for a forensic report.

Grizzly Attack: In a devastating attack near Yellowstone, a bear might be guarding food.

We saw the mother bear cry:

In Yosemite National Park, a bear cub was hit by a car.

The autopsy at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center lasted almost a year.

According to the report, Madura's body was already badly decomposed when he was sent for an autopsy.

“The causes of death were lacerated stab wounds and physical injuries to the head, neck, chest and limbs. According to the summary of the report, the cause of death was an accident.

A request for comment was sent to park officials on August 8. 18 has not been returned.


Bears are "dangerous wild animals," according to park watchdog biologist Bill Stever, who warned him in a statement in August. 19 that their behavior may be unexpected.

It was a tight call:

The tourist was charged after video of her encounter with a bear in Yellowstone National Park went viral.

“There are a number of dangers associated with hiking and camping in bear country,” Stever warned. "Black bears are the park's most dangerous predators, and although attacks on humans are rare, they do occur, resulting in significant injury and death."

According to the results of the examination, the bones presented "several puncture wounds in the skin, probably due to a claw and / or a bear bite".

While the decomposition can make it difficult to determine whether the injuries occurred before or after death, some of the injuries showed leaks into surrounding tissue, indicating that they occurred before Madura's death, according to the report.

Madura's family were not available for comment.

According to the report, the autopsy involved examining numerous images and reports.

“There were riots near his campground with signs of training in a stream,” he said. "According to the study," a black bear found collecting the remains was dissected and the contents of its gastrointestinal system were compatible with human tissue.

How dangerous is a black bear?

The half-million-acre Great Smoky Mountains, which stretch across western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee and provide refuge for bears, are home to nearly 2,000 black bears, biologists say. Park.

In the park, bear attacks are rare. They mainly eat berries, nuts and acorns, but they also eat small animals and carcasses, McInnis said.

Visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains have been accused of feeding bears with peanut butter.

However, given that the Smoky Mountains are the most visited national park in the United States (2.1 million visitors in 2020), bear encounters are almost inevitable.

The park has recorded at least six attacks, including the beating of a 16-year-old teenager in Hazel Creek in 2015.

A 16-year-old girl was bitten and injured by a bear as she relaxed in a hammock in the Cosby Smokey neighborhood in the early morning hours of June 18.

The girl was able to survive the attack, although she suffered numerous injuries, including cuts to the head. The rangers shot and killed the bear, which her family said attacked her.

Outside of Madura, there has only been one fatal bear attack in the park. Glenda Bradley, 50, was killed by a bear in the Elkmont area in 2000.

Since 1990, the park has reported 57 cases of bear euthanasia for a variety of reasons, from malnutrition to bear attacks on humans, according to Jamie Saunders, a spokesperson for the park.

“In the park, euthanasia is never a futile decision. “Bears learn to repeat their practice of eating human remains as soon as they learn it,” McInnis said last year. "It's hard to break an association once it's formed."

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