In Denali National Park a man was killed by a grizzly bear, after he took photos of the animal Friday. Richard White, 49, from San Diego, California was found dead in the park with the bear hovering near his body when park rangers found him.
White had been backpacking alone for three nights in the Alaskan park when he was mauled by the bear and died. White's camera was found with photos of the bear and revealed that he had been watching the animal near a river before the attack occurred.
The hiker was alone in the Toklat River on Friday afternoon and observing the animal within 50 yards of its location, which is closer than the quarter-mile separation required by the park's rules.
Park spokeswoman Maureen McLaughlin said to CNN, "The bear was generally unaware that he was there until the last couple of shots, then his attention turned ... We're not sure what happened after the camera was put down."
The bear was killed at the site, as it was still "defending the kill site along the Toklat River as the recovery team attempted to reach White's remains," the park service said to CNN.
White was found after hikers noticed a lone backpack stained with blood with torn clothing. The hikers went back to a rest stop and called authorities. Park rangers then conducted a search via helicopter and spotted the grizzly bear and White's body.
In the park's century which is nearly one hundred years, this is the first known fatal mauling.
Denali Park Superintendent Paul Anderson said to The Associated Press, "Over the years, and especially since the 1970s, the park has worked very diligently to minimize the conflict between humans and wildlife in the park. We have some of the most stringent human-wildlife conflict regulations in the National Park system, and I think those are largely responsible for the fact that there hasn't been a fatal attack."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
