A Denali bear attack has officials searching for the animal to kill it. The grizzly bear that attacked a female tourist, who was hiking at Alaska’s Denali National Park with a group of friends, is responsible for several other incidents.
A Denali bear attack will lead to the death of the creature. Denali National Park and Preserve is a 6-million-acre national park that is located in Alaska, centered on Denali, the highest mountain in North America.
According to a press release issued by officials at the National Park Service, on Friday, Fangyuan Zhou, 28, along with a group of friends were hiking on the Savage Alpine Trail in Denali National Park when they spotted a bear.
The hikers did everything to avoid the small grizzly, aged between 2 and 5. The group said they “played dead,” waited for the bear to leave, and continued with their trip. A few minutes later, the animal found the friends and charged them.
The animal scratched and bit Zhou before being scared away by one of the friends, who threw a rock. Zhou was treated for her wounds at the park and was later taken to an Anchorage hospital. The same bear has been spreading havoc in the park for some time.
Two weeks ago, the young bear charged two different groups of hikers, in the same area. While no humans were injured during these incidents, it did steal food from a backpack. The Park Service said that they have been trying to teach the animal not to approach hikers using “aversive conditioning, in which rangers shoot non-lethal bean bags at the bear in an attempt to establish dominance,” but they have failed. Officials explained:
“Park officials have intensified efforts to manage the situation. The erratic behaviour of the bear over the past two weeks: approaching and charging several groups of hikers; biting and scratching a hiker, obtaining food from a hiker(..) represents an unacceptable risk to safety in the highly visited front country of the park. Park staff will locate and kill the bear as soon as safely possible.”
Due to numerous attacks, officials said the bear would be found and killed. The statement went on to say:
“The erratic behavior of the bear over the past two weeks: approaching and charging several groups of hikers; biting and scratching a hiker; obtaining food from a hiker; and its general interest in people represents an unacceptable risk to safety in the highly visited front country of the park. Park staff will locate and kill the bear as soon as safely possible.”
According to animal experts, this is how you survive a bear attack:
Brown/Grizzly Bears: If you are attacked by a brown/grizzly bear, leave your pack on and PLAY DEAD. Lay flat on your stomach with your hands clasped behind your neck. Spread your legs to make it harder for the bear to turn you over. Remain still until the bear leaves the area.
