Second Bear Mauling Occurs in Alaska in Four Days

bear attackFor the second time in four days, Alaska has seen bear maulings in the state. Following the attack on a 77-year-old bear hunter on Friday, near mile 68 of the Denali Highway, another attack was reported in southeast Alaska on Monday.

The first attack on Friday, involved Glenn Bohn, who was on a bear hunt with a hunting partner. There is little in the way of details of the circumstances of the attack, but Bohn suffered significant injuries and was taken from the field by snow machine then medevaced to an Anchorage hospital.

The bear was dispatched by the other hunter. Troopers responded and carried out an investigation of the bear carcass before it was harvested and removed from the field.

On Monday, a second attack occurred, this one in Southeast Alaska on Mount Emmerich. The attack occurred on Monday morning, and troopers were notified just prior to noon after one of the students descended down the mountain to gain cell phone reception to call for help from the community of Haines. Haines police relayed the information to Alaska State Troopers. [xyz-ihs snippet=”adsense-body-ad”]

The mauling victim, 35-year-old Forest Wagner, was leading a class of 11 mountaineering students and two fellow instructors between the mount and the Chilkat River when the attack by a sow with two cubs occurred.

Wagner, who has been teaching outdoor classes since 2006, was evacuated from the mountain via a private helicopter company before being transferred to another and flown to an Anchorage hospital.

All the other members of the party made it off the mountain safely and no injuries were reported. They were picked up via Temsco helicopter and transported to Haines to await their trip back to Juneau today.

See also  This Day in Alaska History-December 5th, 1905

Wagner’s family have been notified of the incident, and Wagner is reported to be in stable condition at Anchorage’s Providence Hospital.[xyz-ihs snippet=”Adversal-468×60″]