On Tuesday, at about 2:40 p.m., a bear attack involving an adult female near Bells Flats was reported to Kodiak police.

Alaska State Troopers and EMS personnel responded to the area.

According to a preliminary investigation, the woman had been walking her dog alongside a salmon stream when she came upon a sow bear with cubs.

The bear attacked the woman, identified as Katelynn Lane, and bit her multiple times on the legs. During the encounter, Lane’s dog began barking, which diverted the bear’s attention and gave her an opportunity to escape by scrambling up a vertical slope. The sow resumed its attack but Lane was able to fend it off by kicking it and blocking with her legs. Then Lane was able to crawl away from the bear and played dead as the sow and her cubs remained in the area for a short time.

After the bears eventually left, she called 911 and made her way to the nearest residence for assistance. The woman sustained multiple injuries in the attack, but they were determined to be non-life-threatening. She was transported to a local hospital, where she received medical treatment.

Her dog was not injured in the incident.

The circumstances surrounding the encounter remain under investigation.