Grizzly bear attack suspected in woman's death near Yellowstone

US park is home to more than 1,000 of the animals

A grizzly bear roams near Beaver Lake in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. AP

A woman has been found dead after encountering a grizzly bear near Yellowstone National Park in Montana.

Investigators found bear tracks at the scene of the suspected attack. Her body was discovered over the weekend on a trail near the town of West Yellowstone.

The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks said the woman was found dead “following an apparent bear encounter”.

The department said an investigation into the attack is continuing. A cause of death has not been confirmed.

Yellowstone is home to grizzly bears and black bears, with the former protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Male grizzly bears can weigh between 90kg to 317kg, while female grizzlies weigh about 90kg to 180kg.

There were more than 1,000 grizzly bears estimated to be in the greater Yellowstone area in 2021.

Park visitors are told to keep at least 93 metres from bears at all times and to never feed the bears or approach them.

There is an average of one bear attack a year in Yellowstone, the National Park Service said. Three people were killed by bears inside the park in 2011 and 2015.