Phil Helsel
NBC NewsWed, 23 Sep 2020 11:15 UTC
© ISTOCKA grizzly bear in Alaska.
A grizzly bear killed a hunter in a national park in Alaska, the National Park Service said Tuesday.
The hunter, who was on a 10-day moose hunting trip with a friend, was killed Sunday in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, a 13.2-million-acre park in the eastern part of the state next to the Yukon in Canada.
The hunter's identity has not been released pending an investigation, the park said.
No other injuries were reported.
More details about the deadly attack and information about whether officials were looking for the bear were not immediately clear.
An email and phone message to a park spokesperson were not immediately returned Tuesday night.
It is the first known fatal bear mauling in the history of the park, which was established in 1980, the park said in a statement.The national park was designated by President Jimmy Carter in 1980. Wrangell-St. Elias had previously been designated by the president as a national monument.
Black bears and grizzlies are found throughout the park, which also has one of the largest concentrations of Dall sheep in North America, around 13,000, according to the park's website.
Comment: Two other hunters were also
involved in an attack (non-fatal) by a grizzly recently in eastern Idaho on September 18, according to the
Idaho Statesman - the 3rd this year for the state:
An Idaho hunter survived an attack by what he described to officials as a grizzly bear, according to a news release from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
The man, who has not been publicly identified, was archery hunting with another hunter south of Mount Two Top near Island Park in Eastern Idaho on Friday morning. The hunters stumbled upon the bear in thick brush, and it charged at one hunter, knocking him to the ground. The man was able to deploy bear spray, a mace-like deterrent, before the attack. His hunting companion then deployed his own bear spray, and the animal fled.
Fish and Game said the victim was taken by ambulance to a Rexburg hospital after both hunters hiked out of the backcountry. Officials credited the bear spray for saving the hunters' lives.
In a similar event the previous week, a grizzly bear attacked two archery hunters near Sandpoint when they crossed paths with her and her cubs. Those hunters also used bear spray and escaped the attack with minimal injuries.
This is the third reported grizzly attack in Idaho this year. In May, a Montana man hiking in the Henrys Lake area — near Mount Two Top — was attacked and bitten by a female grizzly bear. He survived the attack.
See in addition:
Bear attacks increasing worldwide
Comment: Two other hunters were also involved in an attack (non-fatal) by a grizzly recently in eastern Idaho on September 18, according to the Idaho Statesman - the 3rd this year for the state: See in addition: Bear attacks increasing worldwide