Mountain Goat Mauls Grizzly Bear to Death in Canadian National Park

Alpha predators succeeded in being the most well-organized hunters in their territory, but from time to time a weaker party appear to disturb the food chain.

Death of a Female Grizzly Bear

A relatable example happened on Burgess Pass - a mountain in Yoho National Park - where Parks Canada discovered the corpse of a female grizzly bear. This creature is usually the killer instead of the killed, and unexpectedly, a goat turned out to be the attacker.

The fight happened before the 4th of September and after the incident Parks Canada had knowledge of the presence of a dead body. These type of bodies need to be taken out if not they can otherwise attract wildlife that could put people at risk.

Discovering a dead bear deserve a forensic investigation to know what caused the death, and so a necropsy was carried out on the bear. When the examination was ongoing, staff saw that the lethal injuries were at the base of the animal's neck as well as in its armpits.

To the inexpert, the sites of the attack might seem random but to knowledgeable park rangers, one very lucky mountain goat could possibly be accountable.

Grizzly Bear vs. Mountain Goat

Parks Canada Public Relations and Communications Officer, Alison Biles, told IFLScience: Whenever grizzly bears attack, they are likely to put their concentration on the neck, head, and shoulders of their victims, usually from above. The mountain goats then respond by protecting themselves using their sharp horns as a defensive response.

Biles said: "Grizzly bear predation of mountain goats is relatively common and significant goat activity was observed in the immediate area. In this case, it appears that the mountain goat was able to defend itself.

While rare, other cases of mountain goats defensively killing bears have been reported in the past, which is not completely surprising since mountain goats are strong animals that are well-equipped to defend themselves."

The Survey

While this type of animal fight makes for great stories, they also show that you might not have the slightest idea of who the winner will be in even fights that seem unfair.

Earlier this year, a poll disclosed that about 7 percent of men surveyed are convinced they could defeat a grizzly bear, a result which has rarely been reflected in the real world. Having that in mind, the best thing to do is to give any wildlife murder scenes an extensive berth because you never know who might be observing.

Biles said the top priority of Parks Canada is Safety. And If visitors come across a dead body on the landscape, they should find their way out of the area as soon as possible and report the location on time to Parks Canada.

Carcasses bring carnivores and other wildlife that may act in an aggressive way so they can protect it as a food source.

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