ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Wildlife officials are urging residents in a Kenai River neighborhood to remain on high alert after a woman was attacked and severely injured by a bear early Tuesday morning.
According to Alaska Wildlife Trooper David Lorring, the 36-year-old woman was jogging near her home on Chinook Drive—close to the Pillars Boat Launch—between 5:00 and 5:30 a.m. when the attack occurred.
“She made it probably 50 yards from her house,” Lorring said. “The bear came out of another property, it looks like it attacked her … and dragged her approximately 100 yards down the road onto this guy’s property.”
The property owner, a neighbor, told troopers he woke to noises before daylight that he assumed were from a bear. Later, as it grew light, he went outside and discovered the injured woman in the woods behind his home.
Lorring said the victim suffered serious wounds to her face and scalp but was conscious and able to speak, though she was in shock. She was airlifted to a hospital in Anchorage for treatment.
Authorities believe the attacker was a brown bear based on tracks and other signs found at the scene. Wildlife Troopers, Fish and Game, and Kenai Police searched the area but did not locate the animal.
Lorring said there was no evidence the bear was guarding a food source and that the jogger may have startled it. While officials initially said the bear would be euthanized if found, Lorring noted that identifying the exact bear involved would be difficult.
Troopers and police plan to maintain patrols in the area over the coming days. Residents are being asked to remain cautious.
“This is the time of year bears are feeding heavily on salmon and berries, preparing for winter hibernation,” Lorring said. “If you do get out in the woods, make sure you can hear your surroundings and what is going on. And that can be as simple as putting in one AirPod and not two.”
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