Last week, viewers tuning into a live bear cam in Southwest Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve were in for a surprise. Instead of catching a glimpse of a brown bear, they spotted a soaking wet man approaching the camera and speaking. Even though they couldn’t hear what he was saying, alert viewers quickly contacted the camera’s host, Explore.org, to let them know about the lost hiker.
Following the tip, park rangers at Katmai National Park organized a search to find the man. Explore.org later posted an update on social media, letting folks know that the man had been rescued. “Bear Cam saves a hikers life!” the multimedia organization 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 saving the man.”
The identity of the hiker and the story of how he got lost is still unknown, but he was pretty lucky to have been seen at all since it was a foggy day and there wasn’t much of a view from the Dumpling Mountain bear cam. Plus, Fat Bear Week, when viewership for the live bear cams really spikes, is still a few weeks away.
Source: WISHTV
Photo: ricochet64 / iStock / Getty Images