South Hadley man identified as victim of grizzly bear attack

SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) – The Massachusetts man attacked by a grizzly bear at Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park has been identified as a resident from in western Massachusetts.

35-year-old, Shayne Patrick Burke of South Hadley confirmed his identity with Western Mass News on Monday as he recovers from serious injuries from the attack.

[ Massachusetts man seriously injured after being attacked by a grizzly bear in Wyoming]

On Sunday, May 19, Teton Interagency Dispatch received a report of a visitor from Mass. who had been injured by a bear in the area of the Signal Mountain Summit Road.

When rescue crews arrived they provided emergency medical care to Burke. He was then air lifted to an awaiting ambulance where he was transported to the hospital.

“The patient is in stable condition and is expected to fully recover,” Grand Teton National Park officials noted after the attack happened.

In a Facebook post shared with Western Mass News, Burke said it was a female grizzly protecting her cub. He explained in his Facebook post how he loves and respects wildlife and that it “was a case of wrong place wrong time.”

Park officials are urging people to give bears plenty of space, carry bear spray and avoid leaving out food that might attract bears when hiking.

[READ MORE: Visitor Injured in Incident with Bear at Grand Teton National Park]

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