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.
-
EEOC workers in Indiana among thousands impacted by planned furloughs
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has put more than 2,000 employees across the country on notice, including at least 58 workers in the Indianapolis office.Abortion numbers increased since Roe was overturned, study says
Abortion numbers have risen since the Supreme Court overturned Roe, a new study says. Read about the impact in states where the procedure is banned.Where do Kamala Harris and Tim Walz stand on immigration?
Where do Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz stand on the issue of immigration? Here's what to know.More than 400k without power in NE Ohio, AES Indiana sending crews to assist
In total, AES Indiana will send 12 Lineman with buckets and digger trucks, a supply truck, a garage mechanic, and a team leader to the area.