Mauling victim holds no grudge against attacking grizzly

line THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

KALISPELL, Mont. - A Philadelphia-area man mauled by a grizzly in Glacier National Park last weekend says he holds no grudge against the bear, which apparently was defending her cub.

"The bear was doing what bears do," said Bruce Gillis. "... I hope she goes back deeper into the wild and has a very happy life."

Gillis, 42, of suburban Wynnewood, Pa., was mauled by a female grizzly Friday afternoon on the Scalplock Lookout Trail in southern Glacier. He underwent surgery Friday night to repair gashes and bite marks on his arms, shoulders and one leg and remains hospitalized at Kalispell Regional Medical Center.

"The doctors said the biting went all the way through both of his arms; her teeth met in the middle," said his wife, Cassie, who flew to Montana after the attack. "But clearly she was not out to kill - because she didn't."

Two other hikers were mauled in a separate attack several minutes later on the same trail. One was treated and released; the other was hospitalized with puncture wounds.

Glacier officials say no action is planned against the grizzly because she was defending her cub.

"They went through the basic guidelines of the bear management policy, and from the actions of the bear, and interviews with the victims, it was determined that it was a defensive action on the part of the bear," said park spokesman David Eaker. "No management action will be taken against the bear."

Under different circumstances, rangers could attempt to trap the bears and relocate them, or kill the sow. But such actions are carefully considered because grizzly bears are protected by the Endangered Species Act.

The trail the hikers were using remains closed, and rangers continue to patrol the area for any sign of the grizzly and cub.

Gillis, an experienced hiker, was alone. He was about halfway down the 4.5-mile trail when he spotted the sow and a cub grazing off the trail.

Gillis said the bears were about 40 yards away when the sow spotted him.

"She charged immediately. She didn't pause, she didn't false-charge," Gillis said. "She was lightning fast, I can't believe how fast she was."

Holding his daypack in his left arm, Gillis quickly ran off the trail and tried to find cover behind some trees. He ended up in a tuck position as the bear attacked him. The grizzly bit and clawed him but stopped suddenly and ran off.

"She was just making her point and I'm glad that's all she was doing," he said.

Gillis says he began to make his way back to the trail, yelling for help. About five minutes after the attack ended, Gillis saw an object move ahead of him on the trail.

"My glasses had been knocked off during the attack and I was terrified that it was the bear again," he said.

What Gillis saw were two park employees bringing supplies to a fire lookout. They bandaged the wounds, put him on one of their horses and went down the trail to the Walton Ranger Station.

"I feel profoundly thankful for all the help," he says. "And lucky that they were there just four or five minutes after the attack."

Gillis, who owns a document management company in Philadelphia, has come to the park nearly every summer for the last 20 years. He calls Glacier his "spiritual home."

He said he knows that hiking in bear country alone poses risks and that he should have been making more noise.

"It's hard to yell the whole time," he said with a smile. "Plus I think it interferes with all the peace."

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