Woman fights off bear with spray after being attacked on trail in Alaska

A bear attacked and injured a runner on a popular trail in Alaska, officials said, and she was able to ultimately deter the animal with bear spray.

The attack unfolded on Thursday near the Prospect Heights trailhead in Anchorage, Alaska’s Fish and Wildlife Department said in a statement. A woman was running alone on a path called the Wolverine Bowl Trail when the brown bear attacked her. She was able to deploy bear spray and escape to the trailhead on her own, officials said.

The unidentified woman was transported to the hospital for treatment. Officials did not disclose the extent of her injuries.

The department said biologists interviewed the woman and went to the site of the attack to look for any signs of bear activity and collected samples, but no bears were located.

Officials placed warning signs at the trailhead and reminded hikers to stay off closed trails.

“Thick, dense summer foliage can block sightlines making surprise encounters more likely,” the department said. “Choose hiking routes with good visibility and away from known attractants, like salmon-bearing streams.”

Officials also urged hikers to carry bear spray, advising people to rehearse, “particularly removing the safety and being sure any additional shipping zip-ties are cut away.”

Hundreds of thousands of bears roam throughout the state, with Alaska wildlife officials estimating there may be as many as one bear per square mile in southern areas.

The incident follows a series of other recent attacks. Last month, a woman was attacked and injured by a bear while hiking with a friend and three dogs in southern Alaska. Also in July, in Kenai, a local resident was mauled by a brown bear that had climbed over the fence into her front yard, with its two cubs, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety. 

In April, two soldiers from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, were injured in a brown bear attack during a training session.

Last year, a woman suffered serious injuries when a bear attacked her outside her home as she went out to go for a jog in southern Alaska.

There were 68 people hospitalized following bear attacks in the state from 2000 to 2017, according to a study by Alaska’s Section of Epidemiology. The vast majority of attacks, about 96%, are by brown bears, according to the study.