A long-time Cordova woman was mauled by a Brown Bear while hiking on the Heney Ridge Trail in an active salmon spawning area on Tuesday according to Alaska Wildlife Troopers.

According to the report, 57-year-old Thea Thomas was at a stream at the trail when her dog and her friend’s dog took off from her immediate area.

When the dogs returned, they came back with a bear pursuing them. When the bear noticed Thomas, it ended it chase of the dogs and attacked Thomas instead. The bear, estimated to be approximately 6 to seven feet in size attacked Thomas multiple times. Thomas curled up in a defensive fetal posture during the attack.

While the attack was occurring the dogs left the area.

The bear bit up Thomas’s right side leg, side and arm.

After the attack, the bear walked down the trail. Thomas waited for a short period of time to make sure that the bear had left the immediate area, then hiked about 1.5 miles down the trail back to her vehicle.

As she made her way back to her truck, she met up with  her dog on the trail. When she arrived at her vehicle, her friend’s dog was waiting for her there.

Thomas managed to drive herself to the hospital four miles away in Cordova for medical attention. She was later medevaced to Anchorage.

The trail was closed by the United States Forest Service, Alaska Department of Fish and Game and Alaska Wildlife Troopers. It will remain closed for the next seven days.

The officials say that there are no plans to go after the bear.

  Alaska, bear, Cordova, dogs, heney ridge, mauling, thea thomas, trail