SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A man mauled to death by a grizzly bear he was photographing in Alaska's Denali National Park was identified Sunday as a 49-year-old San Diego man.
Richard White was backpacking alone Friday afternoon along the Toklat River when he got too close to the bear, which was spotted sitting atop his remains in what rangers called a food cache 100-150 yards from where he was attacked.
Photographs taken immediately before the attack showed the bear grazing but not acting aggressively. White, however, apparently got within about 50 yards of the bear. Park rules require staying a quarter-mile away.
A state trooper killed the male bear on Saturday. A necropsy confirmed it was the one that attacked White. An autopsy is being done on White's body in Anchorage.
The fatal grizzly attack was the first on record in the park's nearly 100-year history.
White had been in the backcountry for three nights when he was attacked. Other hikers who came across his bloodied clothing and abandoned backpack notified rangers.