August 15, 2000 Missoulian article by Michael Jamison: Bear attacks, injures hiker in Glacier Park. Type of bear undetermined
CAG Comment
Bear attacks is something that is rare to non existent in the Selway Bitterroot Ecosystem [SBE].
The federal land and resource management agencies that have been captured by environmental groups such as Friends of the Bitterroot, National Wildlife Federation, Serria Club, Earth First, Alliance of the Wild Rockies, to name just a few of the hundreds of such groups that exist throughout the United States who in all their wisdom insist the SBE is an appropriate place for grizzly bears; when in fact their is strong evidence that a quality grizzly bear habitat does not exist in the SBE.
WEST GLACIER - A hiker was attacked by a bear in Glacier National Park early Monday, sustaining punctures and lacerations to his hips and legs.
Kelly M. Krpata, 26, was hiking with a friend near Many Glacier on the park's east side when the couple surprised the bear on the trail. A pile of bear scat found nearby will be analyzed in the hope its DNA will reveal whether it was a black bear or grizzly that attacked the hiker.
Krpata, who is from Carmel, Calif., but currently lives in Ann Arbor, Mich., had camped Sunday night at Granite Park. He and 27-year-old companion Kim Taffer, also of Ann Arbor, were traveling east on the Swiftcurrent Pass Trail at about 9 a.m. when the bear charged.
"The bear came at them at a full-blown charge from about 50 yards away," said park spokeswoman Amy Vanderbilt. "He (Krpata) did have pepper spray, but he didn't have time to pull it out."
Vanderbilt said Krpata, who was hiking in the lead, dropped into a fetal position just as the bear hit him. Taffer curled up in some bushes not far off the trail.
The couple said they had learned what to do in the event of a bear encounter from a backcountry video shown to campers before they hit park trails.
"It is very likely that their actions minimized his injuries and prevented her from being injured," Vanderbilt said.
The attack lasted 10 seconds, Krpata told rangers, before the bear lumbered off into the brush near Bullhead Lake. In addition to the leg and hip injuries, Krpata's backpack and sleeping bag were torn during the attack.
About 30 minutes after the mauling, a park ranger walking the trail heard calls for help and responded to provide initial treatment. Because the injuries were not life-threatening, officials opted to evacuate Krpata without use of a helicopter.
However, his injuries prevented Krpata from riding out on a horse, so he was rolled on a wheeled litter about four miles to the trailhead. Babb ambulance took him from Many Glacier to the Browning hospital about 3 p.m.