He had tried several times since then to reach the top of the ravine, Lisa Dapprich, a park spokeswoman said today.

Maria Gillette, a park spokeswoman, said the search teams using dogs had not picked up any scent on the trails from the parking lot.

A drought-fed brush fire was contained today after it burned 5,500 acres of Everglades grassland, a park spokeswoman said.

Such measures "will be considered," said Joan Anzelmo, a park spokeswoman.

An autopsy to determine if the bears had killed her is not complete, said Nancy Gray, a park spokeswoman.

"We would prefer not to have to do this," said Marsha Karle, a park spokeswoman.

The wind will "definitely make increased fire activity, but we don't anticipate any runs like we had last weekend," said Linda Miller, a park spokeswoman.

Only about 2,000 sightings are reported to rangers each year, according to Amy Vanderbilt, a park spokeswoman.

"The slaughterhouses are full, and they want us to hold them until next week," said Marsha Karle, a park spokeswoman.

'He helped Mr Benson into the basket and they got him out,' said a national park spokeswoman.