A South Florida hiker who was in Montana was killed in an apparent bear attack, his father said.
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Arthur Pollio told NBC6 on Saturday that his son, 33-year-old Anthony Edward Pollio, was on a two-week trip with a friend when he went missing at Glacier National Park.
“It was a road trip through central U.S., Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming to get to Montana, and I believe he pulled right into Glacier National Park,” he said.
Pollio said that his son went on an advanced trail before he disappeared.
“And he texted me that evening, he says, ‘Dad, I’m hiking up a mountain. It’s wild out here,'” he said. “He says, ‘I love you, dad,’ and that was the last message I received from him.”
Park officials said Anthony’s body was found on Wednesday, and while they are investigating the circumstances of his death, they said his injuries were consistent with those sustained by a bear attack.
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“Based from the coroner’s report on his injuries, we believe he came across a grizzly bear, and he used all of his bear spray,” Arthur said. “Because they went back there even several days later when they found him in that area was very odorous from the bear spray.”
Arthur said his son was a Davie native, played soccer for the Archdiocese of Miami and went to the University of Central Florida.
He said his son fought to the very end.
“And he was a warrior,” he said. “He was a gladiator. “He was a Viking. “He would never give up.”
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This incident marks the first deadly bear attack in Montana since 1998.