JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming Game and Fish Department officials say a sheep herder is expected to fully recover from injuries he received when he was mauled by a grizzly bear in Sublette County early Monday morning.

The department did not release the shepherd's name. Zack Turnbull, bear management officer for Game and Fish, says the man heard his guard dogs barking about 2 a.m. while he was tending the flock in the Upper Green River Basin.

Turnbull says the shepherd went out to check on the sheep with a flashlight and that's when he encountered the grizzly sow, which was protecting her young and a food source. The bear briefly attacked him, and he was seriously injured.

The shepherd was taken to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls for treatment.

Wildlife managers are attempting to capture the bear.

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Information from: Jackson Hole News And Guide