Posted on 08/28/2012 7:50:07 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Officials have reviewed photos taken by a San Diego man of a grizzly bear in Alaska's Denali National Park just before the animal killed him.
Richard White, 49, was standing 50 to 100 yards away from the bear that ultimately mauled him Friday, according to images found on his camera, park spokeswoman Maureen McLaughlin said. He is the first person to die in a bear attack in the history of the park, which covers 4.7-million acres.
Hikers are typically advised to stay at least 300 yards away from a bear, McLaughlin said.
The bear, which weighed an estimated 600 pounds, was shot and killed by a state trooper as he was defending the spot where White's remains were found.
The incident began Friday afternoon when three hikers found a camera, a backpack and evidence of a violent struggle, including torn clothing and blood, along the Toklat River. They reported what they found to park rangers, who sent a helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft to search for White, officials said.
Rangers in the helicopter determined that the bear had dragged White's remains from a flat expanse along the river to a more secluded brushy area 150 yards away, where it stored its food.
Investigators determined the bear had killed White after reviewing the bear's stomach contents, the images on the camera and other evidence, officials said. The pictures showed the bear foraging in the brush along the Toklat River, McLaughlin said.
"For a good [part] of that time, the bear was unaware that anyone was there," McLaughlin said. "There were no dramatic signs of aggression."
Park officials imposed an emergency closure prohibiting all hiking and camping in that portion of the park and others nearby until further notice.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimesblogs.latimes.com ...
In Montana we call those types tourons - a hybrid between a tourist and a moron.
In Idaho they are called tourorists. Round a corner and one is stopped dead in the highway, door open, out of car, taking a picture of a mule deer doe. Two of them were stopped to take a picture of one of those hysterical marker signs, and there is even a pull off to park and read the sign. No, they stopped in the highway. The funny thing is, about 90% of the cars I see that ran over a rock in the road and busted the oil pan, are tourorists. I guess they look at everything but the road.
LOL!
Alaska's Denali National ParkDenali isn't just a National Park in Alaska.
LOLOL!!!
8<)
Er, uhm, ah ..... OK.
One shark cage against grizzlies. Sounds fair to me - the bait can’t get out that way.
(Does the shark cage owner realize that bears CAN climb over the top of the shark cage?)
Money grubbing, eh?
"Your ass is mine!"
How are things, Mr Meriweather?
Splendid. Well, now, look at that. Buffalo hides. There’s a world of money chewing grass on those plains, Jack.
There goes Buffalo Bill himself.
Yes, sir. Multiply that by thousands. The buffalo are getting scarce. You were raised by Indians. You should know how to track them. We could make a killing, Jack. Haven’t changed a bit, Jack.
Neither have you. You’d better watch out. They’re whittling you down. You can’t afford to lose any more of your parts.
Every business has a particle of risk. Bye, dear boy.
An eminently fair point. Lol!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.