A 33-year-old Florida man died after falling 100 feet while being attacked by a 'surprised' grizzly bear in Montana's Glacier National Park, according to an investigation by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee Board of Review.
The attack marks the first fatal bear mauling in the park since 1998, but authorities will not euthanise or hunt down the bear because the animal was not hunting the man at the time of his death.
Details of the Incident
Anthony Pollio of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was hiking alone on the Mount Brown Lookout trail, one of the steepest in the park, in May. Text messages he had sent indicated he planned to hike to the lookout and watch the sunset.
At the time of the attack, the trail had numerous downed trees from the previous winter. 'Darkness and deadfall on the trail would have prevented the bear and Mr. Pollio from seeing each other until they were very close,' the report states. The attack occurred at about 9:30 pm.
Investigators said Pollio fired a can of bear spray before he fell from the trail, tumbling down a hill. The bear continued to attack him as he fell, based on blood and other evidence. Officials later found his body about 50 feet off the trail in a densely wooded area with downed timber.
The Fatal Sequence
Pollio fell nearly 100 feet down the slope before the bear broke off the attack. He began to climb back up and managed to get about 18 feet uphill before the animal returned and bit him on the head. Investigators described that as the coup de grâce that killed him. The bear left the area shortly after.
The report concluded that Pollio 'appears to have been the victim of a defensive attack by a surprised grizzly bear.' The bear was never found, but DNA evidence from hair suggests it was at least 15 years old and had likely lived in and around Glacier Park its entire life. Because it was most likely a surprise attack, wildlife management protocols do not require the bear to be put down.
Rarity of Attacks
Officials with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks say bear attacks in and around Glacier National Park are very rare, with only 10 recorded since 1967. The most recent fatal attack before this was in 1998, when a man was killed on the Scenic Point Trail in the Two Medicine Valley. The most infamous occurred in 1967, when two different bears killed two different women on the same night, miles apart.
The report included several recommendations for hikers: stay alert in bear country, especially when visibility is low; make noise while hiking, such as talking, singing, or clapping; carry bear spray; and do not hike at night or alone.
