A hunter was killed by a grizzly bear in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska on Sunday, September 20, 2020. The hunter was on a 10-day moose hunt with a friend near the Chisana River drainage at the time of the attack.
The incident is the first known bear mauling fatality recorded in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve since the park was established in 1980.
Visitors are encouraged to be Bear Aware when traveling in the backcountry and take precautions such as carrying bear spray and using Bear Resistant Food Containers (BRFC).
State Troopers, the US Forest Service, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game are investigating the attack. The identity of the deceased hunter is being withheld pending that investigation.
“It’s very rare that someone is injured by a bear and even more rare that someone would be killed. It’s always a very tragic situation.”
– spokeswoman for Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Hunters are encouraged to read Bear Safety for Hunters located on the ADF&G website: http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=hunting.bearsafety
The fatal attack is the second in Alaska this year, and since 2018, the ninth in Alaska since 2010 and the second in North America in 2020.
Bears eat people