Grizzly attack
About two and a half hours later, park rangers conducting an aerial search spotted at least one grizzly bear and, after touching down, the unidentified victim's remains.
The bear intially ran away, but returned to the site a short time later while the rangers were investigating the scene, forcing the rangers to retreat, the park service said.
After the bear began to circle around them and as darkness was setting in, the rangers decided to wait until Saturday to remove the body.
The area of the Denali backcountry where the attack occurred has been closed -- prohibiting all hiking and camping in that area -- "until further notice," the park service said.
About 12 grizzly bears have been living this summer around where Friday's attack occurred, the park said, citing wildlife biologists.
Grizzly bear attacks are not common, though they are not unprecedented. Last September, a grizzly
attacked and killed a hunter in northwestern Montana within sight of another hunter. Earlier that year, grizzly bears killed two men in Yellowstone National Park, according to the park's superintendent.
This attack is the "first known bear mauling fatality" recorded in Denali National Park and Preserve, according to the park service.
