Grizzly kills photographer in Alaska

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Park rangers said Saturday they had yet to retrieve the body of a backpacker killed by a grizzly bear he was photographing in Alaska's Denali's National Park.

The National Park Service said the fatal mauling occurred Friday near a river, the Anchorage Daily News reported. The man's name had not been released.

Early Saturday, wildlife officials killed a large male grizzly that was guarding the body as a food source. Rangers, worried about other bears in the vicinity, coupled with poor weather, had not been able to retrieve the victim's body by late Saturday.

The attack scene was discovered by another hiker who first found the man's backpack along the Upper Toklat River and then spotted blood and torn clothes, the Daily News said.

The man's body was dragged into bushes 100 to 150 yards away.

Park Superintendent Paul Anderson said a digital camera found showed the victim was within 50 yards of the bear for at least 8 minutes.

Denali hikers are required to stay at least a quarter-mile from bears or leave any area where they encounter one, Anderson said.

The fatal bear attack was a rarity, the newspaper said, being the first in seven years in Alaska and the first ever in the more than 90-year recorded history of the park.

"The photos show the bear grazing and not acting aggressively," Anderson said.