Woman injured by bear mauling in Haines

Chilkat Valley News
4 hours ago
2 min read

By Will Steinfeld

Chilkat Valley News

This is a developing story.

One woman was injured in a bear mauling on Mt. Riley Road early Saturday morning.

A Haines Volunteer Fire Department ambulance responded at 6:23 a.m. to a report of a bear mauling and took the victim to the SEARHC clinic in town.

Haines Police chief Jimmy Yoakum said the woman was walking her dog when she encountered the bear on Mt. Riley Road, between the intersection with FAA Road and the steep incline commonly known as the sledding hill.

After being attacked, she was able to walk home and then call 911. As of early afternoon Saturday, she was in “serious but stable condition,” borough manager Alekka Fullerton said.

Alaska Wildlife Trooper Josh Whitby and Haines police investigated and found tracks believed to be from a female brown bear and a cub.

Officers also found evidence that the bear may have had a cache of food just off the road near the site of the attack, Yoakum said. Alaska Department of Fish and Game bear biologist Anthony Crupi said the attack was likely a surprise defensive encounter. “It isn’t atypical for a female brown bear to try to defend her cubs,” Crupi said.

When maulings occur, standard procedure is for wildlife troopers to collect genetic evidence from the scene to identify the bear in the attack, Crupi said.

Whitby and Haines police are currently in the Mt. Riley Road area trying to locate and identify the bear.

When the bear is identified, it will likely be put down. “Sometimes the response involves dispatching the animal involved in the attack,” Crupi said. “It can depend on the situation. But we don’t have a lot of tolerance for animals that attack people.”

Haines Borough Police closed the Lily Lake trailhead late Saturday morning due to bear danger, Yoakum said. The department also warned hikers on the nearby Battery Point and Mt. Riley trails to use extreme caution.

• This story originally appeared in the Chilkat Valley News.