1 of 2 Undated image of a bear in Katmai Park Photo: Wikicommons Undated image of a bear in Katmai Park Photo: Wikicommons
A stranded hiker was rescued Tuesday in an Alaska national park thanks to eagleeyed viewers watching a live feed from a camera designed to film grizzly bears.
Lost on Dumpling Mountain, the hiker turned toward the camera and said things like “lost” and “help me.”
Rangers in Katmai National Park were alerted to the man and were able to rescue him.
The park is one of the most remote in the United States and is only accessible by plane or boat.
At around 3:15 p.m. local time, bear lovers were watching the live camera at Dumpling Mountain on Explore.org a documentary channel and network of live cameras in the wild when a viewer commented online: “Is there anyone in distress in the wild?” Camera.
The camera does not play sound, but viewers understood through lip reading that the climber was asking for help.
Explore.org also told the BBC that the man “showed a thumbs down.”
There is no cell phone service available on the mountain or in the park.
Viewers reached out to the Explore.org team, who was able to contact the National Park Service.
A page moderator told netizens who warned about the situation: “Thank you to the viewers who informed us. Explore is aware of this and may contact Katmai. They also track the images.”
“The park dispatched a search party to find the climber, who was rescued in poor visibility due to wind and rain,” Cynthia Hernandez, a spokeswoman for the National Park Service, said in a statement to the BBC.
Park rangers found the climber at 6:48 p.m. local time, who was “unharmed and brought to safety.”
On the eve of Fat Bear Week, which this year takes place in early October, the audience for Alaska bear cameras is increasing.
Fat Bear Week is a popular Katmai National Park online competition in which a bear is crowned the cutest of them all, at a time when the animals are eating salmon before hibernation.
With seven cameras scattered throughout the park, it’s common for people to tune in to watch bear fishing spots.
But the rescued hiker was lucky to have people watching the alpine tundra of Dumpling Mountain a less popular spot and one shrouded in fog as he sought help.
Two of two cameras were set up in Katmai National Park, Alaska to observe brown bears hunting for salmon Photo: Getty Images / via BBC Cameras were set up in Katmai National Park, Alaska to watch brown bears hunting for salmon Photo: Getty Images/via BBC