ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- A San Diego man who was mauled to death by a grizzly bear in Alaska's Denali National Park may have violated a permit allowing him in the park, officials said.
Richard White, 49, was hiking alone through part of the park where there are no trails Friday when he encountered the bear, the Anchorage (Alaska) Daily News reported.
"It's an extremely rare event, and it's not common that we even have injuries related to bears," said park spokeswoman Maureen McLaughlin. "We don't see a lot, and we think some of that is due to our education."
The park service said White ignored safety instructions he received before heading into the Denali wilderness. Officials found photos on White's camera that showed he lingered near the bear instead of leaving the area, as required by his permit, park officials said.
"The photos show the bear grazing and not acting aggressively," said Paul Anderson, the park's superintendent, adding that time stamps on the photos show White stayed near the bear for about eight minutes, even though back country visitors in Denali are required to stay at least a quarter-mile from bears and leave the area if they happen upon one.
Park officials found and killed the bear believed to have killed White Saturday afternoon.
