Anchorage police report that they received a call reporting multiple hikers injured following a bear attack in the woods near the Eagle River Campground at just after noon on Monday.

Involved in the incident, were four juveniles, two female, two male. The group was just north of the campground at the time of the attack.

Over a dozen APD officers, as well as Fish and Game, and EMS immediately responded to the campground. When they arrived, they would find that after the attack, where three of the hikers had been attacked, the hikers got split up as “some went looking for help.”

As responders searched the woods for the injured parties, they too were charged by the sow bear that had two cubs. APD said that the officers fired rounds at the bear during the charge. When they did so, the bears ran into the woods.

Within a half-hour of the attack, all involved were located. Three of the young hikers had suffered minor injuries that included minor cuts and scratches to legs, forearms, and front and back upper torsos. The injured were transported to a local hospital for treatment of their injuries.

A State Park Ranger and Fish and Game biologists sought to locate the bear, and tracked the animals for much of the afternoon, before calling off the search. While they initially found small blood traces, they do not believe that the bear suffered mortal wounds.

The Tank Trail was closed down and will remain closed for the near future. While two Park Rangers intend to patrol the area tomorrow, further pursuit of the bears is expected.[xyz-ihs snippet=”Adsense-responsive”]

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