Mount McKinley in Denali National Park and Preserve

Denali National Park is one of the most bear-infested parks in the national parks service.  Since it was founded as Mount McKinley National Park in 1917, it has also been one of the safest parks for hikers in terms of bear attacks.  Every hiker is made to take a bear awareness training camp and gets briefings from rangers before being allowed to hike and camp in the area, and that has kept Denali very safe.  However, that near 100 years of no fatal bear attacks is now over; a hiker has been mauled to death by a bear in Denali National Park.

“We have a likely identity but we’re waiting to get out to the remains and get them back today before we make a positive confirmation,” said Park Service spokeswoman Maureen McLaughlin said.  She added that identifying the bear responsible for the attack “is not going to be terribly easy.”

The bear apparently attacked the man near the gravel bar of the Toklat River, then dragged the body into the bushes.  The bloodied corpse was discovered by hikers, who called in the rangers.  The attack took place less than three miles from a rest stop on the park’s only road.  Recovery efforts had to be postponed due to darkness and danger from bears in the area.

Tags: alaska, denali national park, bear attack, bear mauling, backpacker mauled by a bear, denali national park suffers first bear mauling, first bear mauling in denali national park, backpacker killed by bear in denali national park, denali, mount mckinley national park, maureen mclaughlin, toklat river

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