Search-and-rescue crews in Glacier National Park discovered the body of a missing hiker Wednesday. Officials are still investigating, but they suspect that he was killed by a grizzly bear.
“The victim was located about 2.5 miles up the Mt. Brown Trail approximately 50 feet off the trail in a densely wooded area with downed timber,” park officials said in a statement on Thursday. “His injuries are consistent with those sustained by a bear encounter.”
As part of its ongoing investigation, the park has closed off the area to the public as wildlife and law enforcement personnel look for bear activity. This closure includes all trails originating from the Sperry Trailhead at the Lake McDonald Lodge.
The NPS said it was withholding the victim’s identity until 72 hours after his next-of-kin had been notified. But the Flathead Beacon has identified the hiker as Anthony Pollio, 33, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The Beacon reports that Pollio had been missing for several days and was last heard from around 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, when he sent a text sharing his plans to hike to the Mt. Brown Fire Lookout the following day. The 10-mile, out-and-back route climbs more than 4,000 feet up a series of switchbacks. Like most other trails in Glacier, it passes through prime grizzly bear habitat. The national park is home to an estimated 300 grizzlies, according to a 2023 estimate.
If officials determine that a grizzly was responsible for Pollio’s death, it would be the first fatal bear attack to occur in the national park since 1998. The most recent non-fatal bear attack took place there last August.
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The announcement from GNP officials came just two days after a similar announcement from Yellowstone National Park, which recorded its first grizzly bear attack of the year on Monday. That incident involved two brothers, ages 15 and 28, who were attacked by a bear while on the Mystic Falls Trail near Old Faithful. Both brothers survived and were evacuated by helicopter with the assistance of another hiker, who helped coordinate their rescue.
In an update on Thursday, YNP officials said that based on the evidence they’ve collected so far, they believe Monday’s attack involved a female grizzly with two or three cubs.