In early September, a hiker discovered a dead grizzly bear in Canada's Yoho National Park.
The carcass of the 70 kilogram animal was not far from a hiking route on the main ridge of the Rocky Mountains.
The severe injuries to both armpits of the she-bear were noticeable, reports the Canadian news site Rocky Mountains Today.
In order to get to the bottom of the cause of death, the animal was autopsied.
"The investigation found the female bear died of natural causes from a failed attempt at assaulting a mountain goat," said David Laskin of the Parks Canada Authority in Radium Hot Springs, British Columbia. Bears mainly focused on the head, back, neck and shoulders of their prey and attacked with their paws mostly from top to bottom. "The wounds are the size and shape of a mountain goat's horn," Laskin said. The only conclusion is that the mountain goat attacked at the right moment, when the she-bear raised her paws to strike, started to attack and fatally injured the predator. Consequently, it can also be ruled out that the bear became a victim of poaching by humans.
"Mountain goats in Canada are mainly killed by grizzly bears," said Steeve Côté, a biologist at Laval University in Quebec, about the autopsy results.
“But theoretically, goats can also kill a bear with a well-placed push.” According to the scientist, male mountain goats can weigh more than 125 kilograms.
The bear found dead weighed only 70 kilograms.
Parks Canada employee Laskin said that due to her light weight, it was likely that the female bear was relatively poorly nourished for the time of year.
"But there is no evidence that she had young," added Laskin.