Cat survives 380-foot fall that killed couple hiking in Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park, animal sanctuary says
A cat that fell alongside a couple into a 380-foot-high canyon was the only survivor of the incident at a national park in Utah, an animal sanctuary said Thursday.
The feline “was found in a black soft-sided carrier that was dirty and torn, but seemed to have weathered the fall fairly well,” the Best Friends Animal Society said.
Its staff estimated the cat is 12 years old. It was found next to two people, a couple that local authorities said had died after falling from a popular tourist spot within Bryce Canyon National Park earlier this week.
The Garfield County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday identified the deceased as Matthew Nannen, 45, and Bailee Crane, 58.
Tourists spotted the bodies Tuesday below Inspiration Point after the two fell late Monday or early Tuesday, the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. How they fell was unknown, but they had crossed over safety railings, according to the statement.
Nannen and Crane were living in a U-Haul van and recently spent a significant amount of time in Arizona. Florida was their last state of permanent residence, according to the sheriff’s office.
The cat, now named Mirage, was rescued alive Tuesday night and taken to an animal facility.
