Remains of a missing hiker found in Montana’s Glacier National Park this week show signs that the man was injured in an encounter with a bear, the National Park Service said Thursday.
These remains were fond at around noon Wednesday, around 2.5 miles up the Mt. Brown trail, approximately 50 feet off the trail in a densely wooded area with downed timber. Wildlife and law enforcement personnel were checking out the area for bear activity and safety concerns Thursday and an investigation is ongoing, the NPS said.
Both black bears and grizzly bears can be found in Glacier National Park, located near the Canadian border. Safety best practices call for people to fight back during black bear attacks and play dead during grizzly attacks.
According to the NPS page for Great Smoky Mountains National Park, there are an estimated 339 negative human-bear encounters annually in the U.S. Activity is typically higher than usual from May through August, it said.
Another bear incident was reported last month, according to Outdoor Life, in Alaska. Sgt. Zachariah Clark of the U.S. Army helped save two soldiers who had been mauled by a bear, earning praise from the military.
On Monday, an attack was also reported at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. There, park staff believe a female grizzly with two or three cubs were involved in an attack on two makes hikers ages 15 and 28. As of Thursday, there were still temporary trail, backcountry campsite, and fishing closures at Yellowstone, in effect northwest of the Old Faithful area, due to the suspected attack.
In Glacier National Park there are also temporary trail closures in place. A bear-caused human fatality hasn’t been reported at the park since 1998, in its Two Medicine Valley area. Last August, a 34-year-old woman was injured by a bear in the park near Lake Janet.While the NPS said Thursday that the identity of the man whose remains were found at the park this week would be withheld pending next-of-kin notification, a press release issued Wednesday said search efforts were underway in the park for a 33-year-old man named Anthony Pollio of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Pollio went missing Sunday evening, the press release said. His vehicle was located at the Lake McDonald Lodge.
“Pollio had communicated plans to hike toward the Mt. Brown Fire Lookout,” said the NPS. “The last known message was sent at approximately 8:20 p.m. on Sunday, May 3. The park was notified of the individual’s disappearance on Monday afternoon.”
