“A Hiker Gets Rescued After Desperately Pleading ‘Help Me’ on a Wildlife Bear Camera.”
“A wildlife bear camera became a lifesaver for a stranded hiker when viewers noticed him urgently saying ‘Help me’ during a live broadcast.”
“The hiker, whose identity remains unknown, became disoriented while exploring a secluded mountain range within Katmai National Park, located in Alaska, USA, on September 5, due to adverse weather conditions and low visibility.”
Bear Cam saves a hikers life! 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. – more details to come. pic.twitter.com/JzgfApK371
— explore.org (@exploreorg) September 6, 2023
“With no cell signal and worsening weather on the trail, the distressed hiker found himself stranded, seemingly without any hope of rescue. However, his fortunes changed when he noticed a wildlife camera positioned on Dumpling Mountain in Katmai National Park.”
“The wildlife camera, managed by Explore.org on behalf of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS), is intended to provide brown bear enthusiasts with a peek into the lives of animals in the national park.”
“However, Explore.org’s camera has experienced a sudden increase in live viewership, especially in anticipation of Katmai National Park’s annual Fat Bear Week tournament scheduled for early October.”
“The Fat Bear competition invites viewers to participate in identifying the biggest bear captured on wildlife cameras as these animals prepare for their winter hibernation. Ultimately, it crowns one bear as the fan-favorite ‘fattest bear’ of them all.”
“As viewers tuned in to Explore.org’s camera at around 15:15 local time, expecting to watch brown bears preparing for winter, they were surprised to see the disoriented hiker instead.”
“Although the bear camera broadcasts audio, the man could be observed mouthing the words ‘Lost’ and ‘Help Me’ multiple times towards the wildlife camera. He also reportedly signaled distress by giving a thumbs-down gesture to the camera.”
“A concerned viewer posted in the Explore.org live cam comments, saying, ‘There is someone in distress on the camera.'”
“The footage captured by the wildlife camera set off a series of events that ultimately led to the safe rescue of the unidentified man by search and rescue teams.”
“Concerned viewers contacted Explore.org staff regarding the stranded hiker. Explore.org staff subsequently informed the National Park Service (NPS), which promptly dispatched a search and rescue team to locate the hiker.”
“Park rangers located the man a few hours later at 18:48 local time, and fortunately, he was unharmed. They safely brought the hiker back to safety.”
“Explore.org posted the video clip of the stranded hiker on X (formerly known as Twitter) and expressed their gratitude to viewers for their assistance in the rescue, stating, ‘Bear Cam saves a hiker’s life!'”
According to The Guardian, when the hiker was seen on the Dumpling Mountain camera on September 5, there were only a few viewers online, which makes the sighting even more remarkable.