Alaska Couple Killed in Bear Attack

[chris]

Officials discovered the bodies and an unused firearm in a tent at a campsite near the river.

The couple, whose names were not released, were believed to be in their late 50s or early 60s, North Slope Borough police said. They were from Anchorage and had been on a recreational rafting trip down the river, Alaska State Troopers said.

The victims were in their tent when the attack occurred, according to troopers spokesman Tim DeSpain.

The campsite was clean, with food stored in bear-proof containers.

"The initial scene indicates that it was a predatory act by the bear," DeSpain said.

The bear was at the site Saturday night when public safety officials arrived. They shot and killed the animal but did not remove it.

A rafter had seen the animal at the site and notified authorities in Kaktovik.

The couple's injuries were consistent with a bear attack and there were no signs of foul play, said Kelly Alzaharna, a lieutenant with the North Slope Borough Police Department.

There were no other people at the campsite, which was about 12 miles upriver from Kaktovik, a community of about 300 on Barter Island and the only village in the refuge.

Officials are not sure when the couple were killed.

The bear's height and weight are unknown because wildlife officials has not yet retrieved its remains, Alzaharna said. The refuge contains grizzly, polar and black bears.

Cathy Harms, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Fish and Game in Fairbanks, confirmed that the bear was a grizzly.

Fish and Game officials were alerted at 4 a.m. Sunday, Harms said. Wildlife officials were taking the bear carcass to Fairbanks on Sunday for a necropsy, which would confirm whether the bear had attacked the couple, Harms said.

Alaska State Troopers are retrieving the bodies from the campsite. Authorities said they would release the victims' names after contacting family members.

The Hulahula River begins at the end of a glacier in the Romanzof Mountains at the eastern end of the Brooks Range. It flows west and north about 100 miles to Camden Bay in the Beaufort Sea east of Barter Island.

[Pwnographer]

NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM

[advancedcorpsetumor]

wow and I have bears walking right by my house? "luck"?
creeeeeeeeepy

[chris]

I used to live in Alaska and would see them all the time. They were really afraid of people though, at least the ones I saw were.

[DonCorleone]

Noooo, poor bear! Those bastards!

[softenderkissez]

Man! look at the claws on him!!

[Impy Chaos]

What do they expect a fucking bear to do in it's Gottdamn habitat?! Fuckers, like the Grizzly man who was killed by a bear, that shit was fucking horrific.
~Impy :(

[EwwThatsGross]

Now we know what "Grizzly Man" looked like at the end. Him and his girlfriend, Amy. PBS wouldnt show that part of course.

[Pwnographer]

Originally Posted by Impy Chaos

What do they expect a fucking bear to do in it's Gottdamn habitat?! Fuckers, like the Grizzly man who was killed by a bear, that shit was fucking horrific.
~Impy :(

I think I love you a little. I LOVE THIS DAMNED GROUP /tear

Honestly, that you feel that way about animals, is just damned smart and rare and mature. It makes me feel all fuzzy.

[advancedcorpsetumor]

Originally Posted by chris

I used to live in Alaska and would see them all the time. They were really afraid of people though, at least the ones I saw were.

yeah the ones around here are also afraid of people... most of them at least... my neighbour is missing a leg and 5 fingers but you should see the bear