Boy, nine, mauled by a bear during hunting trip in Alaska – before a relative blasts it to death
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Boy, nine, is mauled by bear and seriously injured while hunting elk in Alaska – before injured family member shoots the animal to death
- A nine-year-old boy has been seriously injured by a ravenous brown bear in Alaska
- A 41-year-old relative who was with the boy managed to shoot and kill the bear
- Both were taken to hospital, where the boy’s condition was described as ‘fair’.
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A nine-year-old boy was severely mauled by a brown mother bear during an Alaska moose hunt and was rescued only by an injured family member, Alaska State Troopers said.
The pair were hunting at Palmer Hay Flats Game Refuge, 37 miles northeast of Anchorage, on Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 20, when they encountered a brown bear with its cub.
The adult bear immediately attacked and mauled the young boy, who was rescued by his 41-year-old relative who shot the creature to death.
At 6:37 p.m., officers and medics were called to the area, where they found the boy seriously injured.
The man had only minor injuries and both were taken to a hospital in Mat-Su.
A nine-year-old boy was severely mauled by a mother brown bear (pictured: file photo of a brown bear at the mouth of the Sargent River in Alaska’s Lake Clark National Park) while on a moose hunting trip in Alaska, only to be rescued by an injured family member
The man and boy were relatives, but police spokesman Austin McDaniel did not name their relationship.
The boy’s condition was reasonable the next day after receiving medical care, McDaniel added.
Officials searched the ground and helicopter on Wednesday for the bear cub, believed to be an adolescent, but were unable to locate it, according to Todd Rinaldi, a regional management coordinator for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
The cub, believed to have been unharmed in the incident, will be euthanized if found, he said.
The pair were hunting at Palmer Hay Flats Game Refuge, 37 miles northeast of Anchorage, on Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 20, when they encountered a brown bear with its cub.
Bear cubs weeks or months old can’t yet fend for themselves, but don’t do well in captivity, he added.
Wildlife officials returned to the area on Wednesday to investigate the incident and interview the people injured in the attack.
Alaska officials were looking for a brown bear that raided chicken coops near Butte and Palmer in recent weeks.
There have been no reports of raids since Friday, raising the possibility that this bear was the culprit.
But a necropsy of the beast performed Wednesday led officials to believe they had the wrong bear.