Hiker hospitalized after grizzly bear mauling in Wyoming

MEETEETSE, Wyo. (AP) — A hiker has been hospitalized after being mauled by a bear, believed to have been a grizzly, in the mountains of northwestern Wyoming, the state's Game and Fish agency said Tuesday.

The man was hiking Monday at high elevation on Francs Peak, a 13,000-foot (4,000-meter) summit southeast of Yellowstone National Park, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department said Tuesday.

The surprise attack happened too quickly for the man to use the bear spray he was carrying, officials said.

The department didn’t release the identity of the man, who was being treated at a hospital in Billings, Montana.

Game and Fish Regional Wildlife Supervisor Corey Class, reached by phone, declined to ask the hospital for the man's medical condition.

Department officials didn’t plan to pursue the bear, according to the statement.