Glacier National Park rangers euthanized an injured black bear last week along Going-to-the-Sun Road.
The bear was discovered Thursday afternoon two miles east of Rising Sun. An initial investigation by the National Park Service found it sustained unsurvivable traumatic injuries after being hit by a car.
A necropsy revealed a severely broken jaw, an injured foreleg and a potentially damaged rib cage and lung area. The male bear was estimated to be 2 1/2 to 5 years old and appeared to be in otherwise good health.
Investigators estimate the collision happened roughly a half hour before the animal was discovered.
Park officials say whoever hit the bear did not report the incident, so the circumstances of the collision are unknown. However, it happened in an area with thick vegetation near the road, which investigators say may have played a role.
