WALES, Alaska (AP) — A polar bear has attacked and killed two people in a remote village in western Alaska, according to state troopers.
Alaska State Troopers said they received the report of the attack at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday in Wales, on the western tip of the Seward Peninsula, KTUU reported.
“Initial reports indicate that a polar bear had entered the community and had chased multiple residents,” troopers wrote. “The bear fatally attacked an adult female and juvenile male."
The bear was shot and killed by a local resident as it attacked the pair, troopers said.
The names of the the two people killed were not released. Troopers said they were working to notify family members.
Troopers and the state Department of Fish and Game are planning to travel to Wales once weather allows for it, the dispatch said.
Wales is a small, predominantly Inupiaq town of about 150 people, just over 100 miles (161 kilometers) northwest of Nome.
Fatal polar bear attacks have been rare in Alaska's recent history. In 1990, a polar bear killed a man farther north of Wales in the village of Point Lay. Biologists later said the animal showed signs of starvation, the Anchorage Daily News reported.
Alaska scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey in 2019 found changes in sea ice habitat had coincided with evidence that polar bears’ use of land was increasing and that the chances of a polar bear encounter had increased.
-
4 shot in separate incidents overnight in Indy
Two men and two women were shot overnight in the Crown Hill neighborhood of Indianapolis is two separate incidents.Anderson neighbors concerned over community center's future
Community members in Anderson are concerned after the city shared plans to add programming to a local community center.School districts seeing an increase in violent threats across Indiana
Schools across Indiana are seeing an increase in violent threats made on social media. Monday morning, Center Grove Community Schools had an extra police presence after threats made Thursday.IMPD warning street takeovers are unacceptable, spinners say they won't stop
Those behind these illegal street takeovers say they're not going to stop. Indianapolis metro police say they're coming after the organizers who put on these events and the drivers taking part.