Polar Bear mauls woman and boy to death in Alaska after chasing multiple residents
The bear was shot to death by a local resident after it fatally attacked the pair, according to State Troopers.
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A Polar bear has mauled a woman and a boy to death in a rural village in western Alaska. State Troopers confirmed that they received reports of the attack at 2.30pm local time on Tuesday (11:30 PM GMT).
According to local news station KTUU, the attack happened in Wales on the western tip of the Seward Peninsula.
Wales is a predominantly Inupiaq village of less than 150 people bordering the Bering Strait, just over 100 miles from Nome, according to The Anchorage Daily News.
State Troopers also confirmed that the bear had chased multiple residents before the fatal attack.
They said: "Initial reports indicate that a polar bear had entered the community and had chased multiple residents.
"The bear fatally attacked an adult female and juvenile male."
Troopers also confirmed that the bear was shot and killed by a local resident as it attacked the woman and the boy.
The names of the two people killed have yet to be released as Troopers say they are trying to notify family members.
They also added that the state Department of Fish and Game are planning to travel to Wales when weather conditions make the journey possible.
Polar Bear kills two in Wales, woman and boy. The bear was shot and killed after the attack.https://t.co/pSWkc4BY59
— Derek Courson������☠️ (@DerektheCleric) January 18, 2023
Historically fatal polar bear attacks have been rare in Alaska.
In 1990, a polar bear killed a man in the village of Point Lay north of Wales.
According to the Anchorage Daily News, biologists later reported that the animal showed signs of starvation.
In 1993, a polar bear got through the window of a US air force radar station on the north slop seriously mauling a 55-year-old mechanic.
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Rough news about a polar bear attack in Wales, Alaska today. Killed and was consuming a woman and her baby. Attacking others too in the village until it was shot and killed
— Reek (@hydzgear) January 18, 2023
According to Alaska Department of Fish and Game, in winter, polar bears can be found as far south as St. Lawrence Island and occasionally they travel even further south.
In 2019, Alaskan scientists at the US Geological Survey discovered that changes in sea ice habitat had coincided with evidence that polar bears use of land was increasing.
As a result there was an increased chance of a polar bear encounter.