A woman was injured after she was attacked by a bear while on a hike in Alaska, local authorities said.
The Anchorage Police Department (APD) said that on July 18 at about 5:30 p.m. local time, officers, Alaska State Troopers and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game responded to reports of a bear incident on a trail in the area of Kenai Terrace Road and Brewsters Drive located in Bear Valley.
“Upon arrival, APD officers climbed the trail where they located an adult female who sustained non-life-threatening injuries after encountering a brown bear while hiking with another person,” APD said in a news release.
“Anchorage Fire Department personnel carried her down the trail and transported the woman to a local hospital.”
As the rescue was taking place, APD officers deployed a drone to monitor for bear activity in the area.
“Officers were able to locate a brown bear nearby and monitor the activity to ensure that first responders and the injured hiker remained safe during the rescue,” APD added.
APD said that over the past year, the department has deployed more drones and pilots as part of an ongoing commitment to safety during incidents.
In a news release from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, it was revealed that the woman was hiking with another individual and three dogs.
“The hikers encountered the bear on a narrow, switch-backed trail uphill from the Bear Valley neighborhood, in an area with heavy vegetation and low visibility. The bear came out of the dense alders, made brief contact with one of the hikers, and left the scene,” the news release added.
High winds and inclement weather conditions at the time of the encounter may have increased the chance that the bear was surprised by the hikers and their dogs, even if they were making noise, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said.
“Initial reports that the victim’s off-leash dog was attacked and killed by the bear were fortunately proven untrue when another group of hikers encountered the uninjured dog and brought it back to safety, ultimately returning it to its home,” the department revealed.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game recommends travelling in groups, making noise, carrying deterrent, having control of your pets and carrying communication when hiking as important safety guidelines to follow when hiking in bear country.
Multiple bear incidents across the U.S. have made headlines in recent months.
In June, two teens were injured during a black bear encounter on Mount Si in Washington state.
“Three hikers were approximately 2.7 miles up the Mt. Si trail at Mount Si Natural Resources Conservation Area when a black bear charged the group and swiped at one of the hikers,” the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a news release. “A teenage boy received scratches from the black bear.”
“His injuries were very minor, but he was, of course, terrified,” King County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Peter Linde told NBC affiliate KING of Seattle. “The bear tossed him around a little bit, but nothing serious. He’s on his way to the hospital right now to be checked out, get the wounds clean and maybe get some antibiotics.”
Earlier in June, a California couple in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., fought off a black bear that attacked them and their dogs using a hatchet and a water bottle, according to police.
Mammoth Lakes Police Department said the incident involved an approximately 17-month-old black bear weighing about 70 pounds.
Upon investigating, police learned that a woman had heard her dogs barking and saw a black bear fighting with one of her dogs in front of her home.
“Another dog got out when the woman went outside and she attempted to stop the bear from fighting with her dogs. The bear then turned its attention toward her, biting and clawing her,” police said.
Once the man heard the commotion outside, he went to intervene and was “aggressively confronted by the bear,” according to police.
The woman was able to grab a water bottle and use it to strike the bear until the man could get free, police said.
“Then the man retrieved a hatchet from within the house and used the blunt end of it to strike the bear multiple times, critically injuring the bear and stopping the confrontation,” police added in the news release.
The couple sustained minor injuries in the altercation.
Based on reporting by Global News.