The Exit Glacier Trail in Seward is closed until further notice after two people were attacked by a brown bear while hiking Wednesday. Alaska State Troopers say the hikers were roughly a quarter of a mile up the trail when they were attacked. Both sustained non-life-threatening injuries after fighting off the bear.
A local hospital reported the attack to state troopers around 9 p.m. As of around 10:15 a.m. Thursday, state and wildlife troopers were assessing the area. Troopers are asking the public to be vigilant outdoors and to avoid the area.
Jeff Selinger is a management coordinator with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and worked as Kenai Peninsula area biologist for almost two decades 18 years. He says the department sent a biologist to Seward on Wednesday to search the site of the attack for DNA evidence, like fur, that can be used to identify the animal.
“One of the big things we try to determine, and you know, it's not always possible, is whether it was a defensive attack by the bear, for example, a sow protecting cubs, or if it's a predatory attack, where you know the bear is attacking the person you know looking at them as — to consume them,” he said.
He says knowing what may have motivated the attack helps inform the way the department handles the bear if it’s caught. In a defensive attack, Selinger says they’ll usually put signs up in the area and warn people of a possibly violent animal. In rarer cases, they’ll kill the bear. In those cases, Selinger says the department will auction off the hide and donate the meat to charity.
The Exit Glacier Trail is part of Kenai Fjords National Park on the eastern Kenai Peninsula.
The area has two trails that offer views of the glacier, including the 1.8 mile Glacier Overlook Loop and 1.2 mile Glacier View Loop trail.
While recreating in the area, the National Park Service says people should be bear aware by carrying bear spray, talking loudly and hiking in groups. Dogs and other pets are not allowed on trails to avoid adding to the stress of bears or other wildlife.
The attack comes about a month after a woman in Kenai was mauled by a brown bear while jogging near her home. The woman was airlifted to an Anchorage hospital with serious injuries. According to an update shared this week to a GoFundMe page, the woman is back at home with family after sustaining broken ribs, a fractured scapula and hand and blindness in her left eye. As of Thursday, the page had raised more than $100,000.
Selinger says it’s a reminder that to live on the Kenai Peninsula is to live in bear country.
“Being able to use all your senses, and you know, it doesn't mean you have to be on high alert all the time, and there's going to be a bear around every corner,” he said. “You know, not that at all. Get out and enjoy the outdoors, but be prepared.”
Selinger says department staff never found the brown bear from the Kenai attack, despite an extensive search of the area and the use of drones and thermal imaging equipment.
