A hunter died after being mauled by a grizzly bear in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve on Sunday, the National Park Service announced.
The hunter, whose identity is being withheld pending investigation, was on a 10-day moose hunt with a friend near the Chisana River drainage at the time of the attack, the agency said in a news release.
The incident is the first known bear mauling fatality recorded in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve since the park was established in 1980, according to the National Park Service. The service encouraged visitors to be bear aware when traveling in the backcountry and take precautions such as carrying bear spray and using bear-resistant food containers. The park also encourages hunters to read Bear Safety for Hunters located on the ADF&G website: http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=hunting.bearsafety.
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