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.
-
Purdue and IU students head back to campus after IUPUI split, Purdue to expand
Indiana University and Purdue first announced they were splitting what was IUPUI in 2022. Now, that's a reality.IMPD investigating body pulled from water on Indy's far east side
Police are investigating after a body was pulled from a body of water on Indy's far east side Tuesday.Colts and Patachou Foundation partner to upgrade school and fight hunger
The Indianapolis Colts announced a $1 million gift to support PataSchool, an initiative that works to transform school kitchens in Indianapolis into spaces to help provide healthy meals to students.Greater Cincinnati's first casino might be the first to leave town
The company that owns Rising Star Casino wants to move it to Northeast Indiana. What will that mean for Rising Sun?