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Hiker found dead in suspected bear attack
Search teams recovered the body of a 33-year-old Florida man in a remote section of Glacier National Park on Thursday, authorities confirmed. The injuries matched those typically caused by a bear encounter.
Victim identified, trail section closed
Officials named the hiker as Anthony Pollio from Fort Lauderdale. The National Park Service immediately sealed off the area where the remains were discovered, a thickly forested stretch of the park.
Bear activity in the region
Glacier National Park supports a large grizzly bear population, earning it the nickname "bear country." Black bears also inhabit the same terrain. While fatal attacks remain uncommon, experts note that bears increasingly associate humans with food when campsites and residential areas encroach on their habitat.
Recent incidents and historical context
The park service reported the last non-fatal bear injury in August 2025. The previous fatal attack occurred in 1998 within Two Medicine Valley. A 2011 study published in the Journal of Wildlife Management documented only 63 black bear-related deaths across North America between 1900 and 2009.
Separate attack in Yellowstone
On Monday, two hikers sustained injuries during a bear encounter at Yellowstone National Park, which spans Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Authorities have not released further details about that incident.
