Woman And Boy Killed By Polar Bear In Rare Alaska Attack

WALES, ALASKA ? A woman and a boy are dead following a polar bear attack in Alaska Tuesday, state troopers said.

The attack was reported around 2:30 p.m., with witnesses saying the polar bear "entered the community and chased multiple residents" during the rampage, troopers said, adding that a resident shot and killed the bear as it attacked the woman and boy.

As of Tuesday afternoon, state troopers and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game were working to travel to Wales ? where the attack happened ? as weather conditions allow and next-of-kin notifications were in progress.

Wales is a small community in the Bering Strait region with a population of around 160, according to the state of Alaska.

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.

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the best way to avoid a bear attack is to stay alert and look for signs of bears, make noise so you don't surprise a bear, never approach or crowd bears, keep food and garbage away from bears, and stay calm and avoid running during a bear encounter.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.