Bear Cam saves a hikers life! Today dedicated bear cam fans alerted us to a man in distress on Dumpling Mountain. The heroic rangers @KatmaiNPS sprung into action and mounted a search saving the man. – more details to come. pic.twitter.com/JzgfApK371
— explore.org (@exploreorg) September 6, 2023
Hiking is one of the best ways to get outside and explore nature. However, this activity is not without risks. Recently, a hiker got lost on what should have been a routine trek through Katmai National Park in Alaska. The thick fog made it difficult to see; and, as a result, the man, who chose to remain anonymous, could not find his way out of the remote area where there was no cell phone signal. Fortunately, a well-placed wildlife camera helped save his life.
A short video was posted by Explore.org, which shows the moment the hiker came across the bear camera and made a plea. In the clip, he sees the device and walks up to hopefully catch the attention of whoever is watching, saying the words, “Lost” and “Help me,” although there is no audio going through. Fortunately for the man, there was an influx of viewers on the Alaskan bear camera. Many folks were tuning into the livestream ahead of Katmai National Park's “Fat Bear Week” in October: a competition in which fans try to pick out the largest brown bear before the animals hunker down for winter hibernation.
The same fans searching for bears were the ones who saw the hiker clearly asking for help, and a few were quick to alert the original poster. Soon after the video was posted, the National Park Service sent out a team to rescue the man from the area at Dumpling Mountain. “Bear Cam saves a hiker's life!” Explore.org writes. “Today dedicated bear cam fans alerted us to a man in distress on Dumpling Mountain. The heroic rangers @KatmaiNPS sprung into action and mounted a search to save the man.”
The hiker was over a mile away from the nearest campground, and on that day there was less than 50 feet of visibility. “Dumpling Mountain is in a remote section of Katmai and this is the first rescue that I’ve heard of in that area,” Peter Christian, public information officer for Katmai National Park, says. It's definitely very fortunate that the bear camera was positioned where it was, otherwise it's uncertain how long it would have taken for the man to be rescued. “Our cameras focus on nature and wildlife,” Candice Rusch, the director of new media for Explore.org, adds. “This is the first time our cameras have been used in a search and rescue operation.”
Those interested in keeping up with the bear livestream cameras can find them at Explore.org's website.
h/t: [PetaPixel]
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