Bear Injures 9-Year-Old On Hunt Off Glenn Highway

Scary moments for a 9-year-old boy, who was injured in a bear attack own a rural area near the Glenn Highway. The Associated Press has some details:

The youth and a 41-year-old man were hunting Tuesday night in the Palmer Hay Flats area about 35 miles (56 kilometers) from the state’s largest city when they came upon the bear, troopers said in an online statement.

The bear mauled the boy, leaving him with serious injuries. He was listed in fair condition Wednesday afternoon, troopers said. The adult, who troopers say suffered minor injuries, shot and killed the bear.

Both hunters were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Troopers say the two are related, but did not identify how. Troopers also did not immediately release their names.

Alaska’s News Source says it’s not the bear that was believed to attack a chicken coop in the area:

“We will come in with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game with the biologist and we’ll do the full investigation, necropsy and find out what’s going on with this bear,” Lanier said.

Residents of Butte have reported several encounters with a bear who killed dozens of chickens and turkeys this month. Department of Fish and Game Regional Management Coordinator Todd Rinaldi wrote that a necropsy had been completed on the bear.

“There was no evidence to suggest that this bear was involved in the raids on chicken coops reported last week in the Butte,” Rinaldi wrote. “A ground search of the area today by AWT and DFG, and an aerial search with AST’s A-star helicopter, did not locate a cub.”

And here’s the full Alaska State Troopers dispatch:

AK22098712

Location: Glenn Highway – Palmer Hay Flats

Type: Bear Attack

Dispatch Text:

On September 20, 2022, at 6:37 pm, the Alaska State Troopers and Alaska Wildlife Troopers were notified of a bear attack near mile 36 of the Glenn Highway off Matanuska Road. Troopers and EMS immediately responded to the scene and discovered an injured juvenile male and an adult male. The pair were taken to a Mat-Su area hospital; the juvenile sustained serious injuries, and the adult male had minor injuries. After a preliminary investigation, Troopers determined that the pair were hunting in the hay flats area when they came upon a brown bear. The bear attacked the juvenile. During the attack, the adult male shot and killed the bear. Troopers and Alaska Department of Fish and Game staff will be back in the area on September 21 to continue their investigation.