A grizzly bear that emerged from a thicket and charged two backpackers in the backcountry of Denali National Park and Preserve was shot and killed by one of the two who was carrying a .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol, according to park officials.
The killing Friday is believed to be the first instance of a hiker killing a grizzly in the park's wilderness. The killing occurred in the original Mount McKinley National Park portion of the Denali, which was expanded by two-thirds in 1980.
Until February, when Congress changed the rules, it was illegal to carry a loaded firearm in that portion of Denali. While the rule change now allows hikers to carry firearms in all areas of Denali, it still is illegal to discharge them, park officials said.
Park officials did not speculate whether the killing was justified. This is believed to be the first instance of a visitor to a national park killing an animal with a firearm since the gun regulations were changed.
According to a release from the park, the two backpackers, a man and woman, were hiking in dense brush along the edge of Tattler Creek, which is at the west end of Igloo Canyon roughly 35 miles from the park headquarters.
"The man, who was in the lead, drew a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol when they heard a noise coming from the brush. When the bear emerged from the thicket and ran toward the other hiker, he fired approximately nine rounds in its general direction. The bear stopped, turned, and walked back into the brush, where it quickly disappeared from view," said the release.
The two then headed roughly 1.5 miles back to a road, where they encountered a park employee, who called in the incident and took the two backpackers to the Toklat Road Camp. A ranger there did a short preliminary interview with them at approximately 10:00 p.m. Because of the concern that a wounded bear was in the area, four backcountry units were immediately closed, and bus drivers were instructed to not drop off day hikers in the Igloo Canyon on Saturday.
"Early Saturday morning rangers and wildlife technicians flew to Toklat via helicopter to conduct a secondary interview with the two backpackers. Afterwards they flew over Tattler Creek and all of side tributaries, very low at times, to determine if there was an active, wounded bear," the park release said. "No bears were seen during the overflight, and late in the afternoon three rangers hiked into the site. The bear was found dead in a willow thicket approximately 100 feet from the pistol casings at approximately 6:00 p.m.
"The bear’s body was transported via helicopter to a landing site on the park road and brought back to headquarters on Sunday, where park wildlife biologists are assisting with the investigation of the bear carcass. The backcountry units have been reopened."
The case is still under investigation, and the names of the backpackers are not being released at this time. Park wildlife biologists and rangers are trying to determine if there was a justification for shooting the animal.
The estimated grizzly bear population in the park north of the Alaska Range north is 300-350 animals.
Comments
I agree, it be foolhardy not to be armed when going into an area where there might be a wounded bear. It's interesting because of the comparison of risk vs knowledge. A wounded bear is a greater risk than a non-wounded bear, but these are also rangers who presumably are experts in dealing with bears. In my mind it supports the idea of a less expert person arming themselves against the dangers of a non-wounded bear. As someone pointed out, statistically, the bear was likely bluff charging, but when all is said and done, I would rather mourn a bear who was bluff charging than mourn hikers for whom the bear wasn't bluffing.
If you hike up Mt Rainier in the fall you might get caught in a storm and die. If you hike into the Narrows at Zion a flash flood might drown you. If you back pack in Denali you might encounter a grisly bear and that bear might attack you. Shooting a grisly in Denali is wrong. If you go to Denali prepared to kill a grisly you shouldn’t be there. Rouge bears that are seeking out humans are a different story and should be dwelt with by the rangers. I’m not backpacking into Denali because I don’t want that kind of encounter.
Anons: A point of clarification. The bear that climbed up on a roof to kill that young woman in Alaska was a black bear, not a grizzly. Black bears are superb climbers. Grizzlies can climb, but they're not very good at it.
What is with all the sheeple here? What happened to the right to protect oneself and family, let alone a complete stranger? Most .45 shots are probably within 20 feet and that is no bluff charge. If you have EVER read anything about the grizzly, they get very upset when surprised and will almost always attack. This is what it sounds like here. These people are lucky to be alive. If there is a distance issue, then it is most likely a bluff, but traveling through the brush, these people were almost bear soup.
This comment is particularly hilarious:
"Submitted by HSR (not verified) on May 31, 2010 - 5:02pm.
Good I don't want to meet you in the "Forest" with your concealed handgun! So please don't come to Alaska and definately stay out of Denali if you can't hike with your gun"
Get me some popcorn! I wonder if this person realizes how many people are around them with a concealed pistol? Most states allow concealed carry just by simply showing up to the sheriff's office and requesting one! In Alaska, probably most of the population has one. Get down to the normal states and even democrat states like Washington for example and nearly half the population has concealed carry permits that are over the age of 21! Naive. Don't even get me started on a place like Arizona.
Anyway, welcome to the real world. Bad things happen and there are no do-overs. My heart goes out to the hikers since this will leave a fear in their hearts for some time due to nearly meeting their demise.
Perhaps the best book on bear behavior -- both black bears and grizzlies -- is Stephen Herrero's Bear Attacks, Their Causes and Avoidance.
Here are some pertinent excerpts:
To the last anon: You don't get it, the back country of a National Park is the realm of the wildlife. We are the visitors there. And if you decide to enter the bear's country, you should be prepared for the remote possibility to get killed, same as you accept when climbing mountains or dive in the sea. There are forces of nature that are stronger than man, and this is the very core of wilderness - the wilderness I seek when I go there.
So far it is one bear. But it happened in the very first week when you could expect visitor-bear-encounters to go wrong.
We will see what else happens during this season and maybe the next. But let me predict one thing: If a) more hikers will kill wildlife, they perceive as threat, and b) there will be no way to repeal the gun rule, then c) huge tracts of the back country of many National Parks will get closed to all visitors, because ultimately the mission to preserve the wildlife trumps over the mandate to allow access in the dedication of a National Park.
By the way, I recommend checking out the film "Grizzly Man" if you haven't seen it. Interestingly, it probably provides fodder for both arguments on both sides of the table.
I cant believe that all of you value the life of a bear over a human... that is the dumbest thing i have ever herd of... i think that this man did exactly what most humans would have... There life was in danger and he defended himself... i would have done the same thing... he did not discharge his weapon in a reckless manner... and he did not intend on going into the woods to kill a bear.... it is an unfourtanate event but nevertheless the man did what he had to do... ask youself what would you be saying if the story read... man and wife killed by bear, and man was armed with pistol, but never fired a shot... we would all be saying how stupid he was for not defending himself...One thing you may not like to here but is the truth is that humans are at the top of every chain regaurdless of in a city or in the backcountry, like it or not thats just the way it is... so all of you libeials living in a city enviroment were you do not come into contact with wildlife on a regular basis need to get a life and stop putting down everything you read.... think before you speak.... any homegrown Alaskan native would have done the same thing.... i tell you i am from the southern part of the US and were i am from, we would have not hasitated to defend ourself against any wildlife, if we have no choice. This man was justified and any charges filled against him would be obserd...