Keith
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A first for this particular park...
Bear suspected of killing two people in Katmai National Park
Bodies of man and woman from California found by pilot
The Associated Press
(Published: October 7, 2003)
KING SALMON -- A man and a woman were fatally mauled in a bear attack in Katmai National Park and Preserve - the first known bear killings in the 4.7-million-acre park, National Park Service officials said Tuesday.
The bodies were found near Kaflia Bay on Monday when a pilot with Andrew Airways arrived to pick them up and take them to Kodiak, Alaska State Troopers said. The park is on the Alaska Peninsula.
The pilot saw a bear, possibly on top of a body, in the camp and contacted the Park Service in King Salmon and troopers in Kodiak.
Park rangers encountered an aggressive bear when they arrived at the campsite and killed it. Investigators then found human remains buried by a bear near the campsite, which was in a brushy area with poor visibility.
No weapons were found at the scene, Park Service spokeswoman Jane Tranel said.
The victims, believed to be in their late 30s to early 40s, were from Malibu, Calif. Their identities are being withheld pending notification of relatives.
The remains and the entire campsite were packed out Monday and transported to Kodiak on the Andrew Airways flight.
As the plane was being loaded, another aggressive bear approached and was killed by park rangers and troopers.
The bodies were flown to the state medical examiner's office for autopsy.
Dean Andrew, owner of Andrew Airways, said the pilot was too upset to comment. The company had been flying the man out to Katmai for 13 years and the woman for the last couple of years. Andrew said the man was an experienced outdoorsman.
"We were all good friends with him," he said. "We haven't had time to deal with it."
The pair were photographing and watching bears at the Kaflia Bay lakes, usually not frequented by visitors, according to Park Service spokesman John Quinley. He said bears are attracted to the area by a late run of salmon passing through lakes.
Other areas along the Katmai coast are popular destinations for watching bears.
In the mid-1980s, a brown bear mauled the body of a visitor who drowned, but this week's attacks are the first known bear killings in the park, Quinley said.
Rangers were returning to the site Tuesday.
Bear suspected of killing two people in Katmai National Park
Bodies of man and woman from California found by pilot
The Associated Press
(Published: October 7, 2003)
KING SALMON -- A man and a woman were fatally mauled in a bear attack in Katmai National Park and Preserve - the first known bear killings in the 4.7-million-acre park, National Park Service officials said Tuesday.
The bodies were found near Kaflia Bay on Monday when a pilot with Andrew Airways arrived to pick them up and take them to Kodiak, Alaska State Troopers said. The park is on the Alaska Peninsula.
The pilot saw a bear, possibly on top of a body, in the camp and contacted the Park Service in King Salmon and troopers in Kodiak.
Park rangers encountered an aggressive bear when they arrived at the campsite and killed it. Investigators then found human remains buried by a bear near the campsite, which was in a brushy area with poor visibility.
No weapons were found at the scene, Park Service spokeswoman Jane Tranel said.
The victims, believed to be in their late 30s to early 40s, were from Malibu, Calif. Their identities are being withheld pending notification of relatives.
The remains and the entire campsite were packed out Monday and transported to Kodiak on the Andrew Airways flight.
As the plane was being loaded, another aggressive bear approached and was killed by park rangers and troopers.
The bodies were flown to the state medical examiner's office for autopsy.
Dean Andrew, owner of Andrew Airways, said the pilot was too upset to comment. The company had been flying the man out to Katmai for 13 years and the woman for the last couple of years. Andrew said the man was an experienced outdoorsman.
"We were all good friends with him," he said. "We haven't had time to deal with it."
The pair were photographing and watching bears at the Kaflia Bay lakes, usually not frequented by visitors, according to Park Service spokesman John Quinley. He said bears are attracted to the area by a late run of salmon passing through lakes.
Other areas along the Katmai coast are popular destinations for watching bears.
In the mid-1980s, a brown bear mauled the body of a visitor who drowned, but this week's attacks are the first known bear killings in the park, Quinley said.
Rangers were returning to the site Tuesday.
