Bear mauls girl in all-night bike race in Anchorage
Originally published Sunday, June 29, 2008 at 11:05 a.m.
Updated Monday, June 30, 2008 at 9:44 a.m.
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Stumble It!ANCHORAGE -- A 14-year-old girl riding in a mountain bike race was attacked in the dark of night by a bear Sunday and severely injured, but she was able to make a brief 911 call that eventually resulted in her rescue.
The girl suffered head, neck, torso and leg wounds. She underwent surgery and was in critical condition Sunday afternoon at Providence Alaska Medical Center, police said.
"The local bear expert said it's probably a sow grizzly," said Cleo Hill, a spokeswoman for the Anchorage Fire Department. "One has been sighted in the area recently."
The attack occurred along a trail in a 24-hour race put on by the Arctic Bicycle Club in Bicentennial Park. Rescuers had to hike in more than two miles to reach the girl.
The park, on Anchorage's east side, borders on Chugach State Park. Wild animals — from grizzly and black bears to moose, wolves and wolverines — frequent the area. The girl was attacked as she reached a trail.
About 60 riders were entered in the race — a circular route that followed groomed trails used by hikers, bikers and skiers. The race began at noon Saturday and was to conclude at noon Sunday but was canceled after the attack.
Rick Sinnott, a wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, told the Anchorage Daily News that the bear could have been a mother that charged two runners on a nearby trail two weeks ago.
Sinnott went to the scene and posted warning signs, and said the girl was fortunate to be wearing a bike helmet because the bear had bitten her head.
The animal attacked the girl around 1:30 a.m., during the darkest part of the morning.
"It's not light enough to read, but it's light enough to see your way," Hill said of the conditions one week after the summer solstice. Riders could see rocks, trees and the trail but may have been using headlamps or a bike headlight, Hill said.
The girl called 911, and dispatchers heard someone struggling to breathe. She whispered one word — "bear" — and the line went dead, Hill said.
Following procedure for when an emergency call is cut off, dispatchers called the number back. Another rider heard the phone ringing, stopped to investigate and spotted the teen off the trail.
"That rider was able to pick up the phone and talk with the police department," Hill said.
One more rider appeared and stayed until emergency workers arrived. That took courage in the darkened forest, knowing a bear had attacked and could again, Hill said.
"It had to be extremely unnerving, if not terrifying," Hill said.
Police officers with shotguns accompanied medics to retrieve the girl.
Police Lt. Paul Honeman said the family requested that no more information be issued on the girl's condition.
"Their daughter is in a battle for her life," he said.
Community Discussion
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Wishing this young girl a speedy and complete recovery. This is one of the reasons that when you have a bear in the neighborhood....if it does not move along quickly and get totally out of the neighborhood, there is no other choice but to kill it. We have had several bears here in Galena that unfortunately met this end. One would have attacked a little girl, but was killed by a very astute, quick thinking citizen. It is just a shame that this bear was not taken out two weeks ago, if it is the same one that charged the runners on a nearby trail!!
I want to add another comment about animals in Alaska. I went on a walk with a couple moms and kids last night and we came upon a moose and her baby moose. It was scary, but we got out of there. Just wanted to say that to people to remind everyone, especially the newbies that this is a wild place, even in the city.
My prayers are with the girl. In the early and late spring all animals have one thing in common to eat and raise their young.
As humans some of our activities must be base on that process and keep our activities within middle of town or have patrols near trails.
This race has previously taken place in Kincaid Park, where the moose run rampant. Two years ago when I participated in this race, the moose were charging riders throughout the night. Not sure why it was moved to NBCP this year since this area is well-known for their high bear population. Hoping for the young woman's quick recovery.
i mentioned this story in a world wide chatroom type thing i go to occassionally. the only reaction i got suggested that we humans have moved into the bears territory and we either need to get out or suffer from the consequences should we be unlucky enough to run into one. what is the matter with people today? have they totally lost their minds?
wishing that young lady a speedy recovery too.... and to that bear and speedy painless death.
I want to know if the people who coordinated the race where aware of the bear in the area and if so did they put out in plain sight warnings for the racers, obviously of all ages, to see. If they did not, where do these liabilities fall? That poor girl was out for a bike ride (after curfew?) and got hurt in what she had every reason to believe was a safe, coordinated, community event.
prevention should be a priority in populated people area's. Something should be done to remove the bears to another part of the state. Shoot them is easy, but a high price to pay. Wild animals and wild people don't mix, period! Little room to get creative when these "ahhhh cute bears" roam too close to humans. Is the system failing to control and protect the public?
Pray the young lady heals with no permanent damage.
Where we live is our territory. Bears do not belong in our back yards. It is not safe. Bears are neat amazing creatures but you can't live with them. They have a million miles of territory in Alaska free from us.
That poor girl really suffered and is lucky to be alive.
Who was here first? Who belongs here?
Using this logic, some of you are saying you think it acceptable to walk into a restaurant, sit down at an occupied table, throw their meal on the floor, and then have the audacity to shoot the person when he gets angry. I was going to continue this example...but......
As I type that, I realize why you think that way. You think yourself better, more important, and somehow more entitled to existence than the bears/wolves/whatever. That's so very sad, unenlightened, and egocentric.
The possession of opposable thumbs and technology does not mean we should blindly kill anything we perceive to be a danger.
If anything the possession of thumbs and reason requires the application of logic, understanding, compassion, and thought. Living where we do, we must have the knowledge to identify danger and the ability to mitigate the inherent risks. We live in places where the animals continually prove that humans are not at the top of the food chain, yet for some very odd reason, we become emotionally engaged to the point of employing illogical thought to justify our actions.
Such as your answer, of course, in shooting the bear. This further shows your inability to see though the bears eyes. But, again, you don't care. You just think you should do whatever you want.
I'm sorry this lady (not a girl, for the record) got mauled. The thing is, she's probably not angry at the bear. But, none ofyou knew that. You're just taking any opportunity to shoot the evil bear.
*sigh*
Sometimes, you rednecks are so vocal in your egocentric spew, that those of us that quietly think "Wow. How sad those people live and think this way." are brushed aside as "greenies", "treehugger" or "eco" or whatever other psuedo derogatory term you cook up.
That's so very sad.
(and if any of you bible thumpers say anything about your god and some crap about dominion over beasts, I'll sic newsreader on you.)
Been chased by two grizzly bears over the years. The only good bear is a dead bear. Feel differently? That's OK too.
moondoggie.....you need to move back to the lower48 where grizzlies have been all but exterminated. You will be safe from bears and just have to contend with the two legged types.
More often than not the reaction to any wild animal exhibiting anything but petting zoo behavior is grounds for people here to start calling for killing it. Move into the animals' territories and when they behave in a perfectly predictable way there will always be someone ready to blast it to pieces under the aegis of defense. Doesn't matter if it is protecting cubs or food or whatever. More and more in these comment groups I see the "shoot first and ask questions later" sort of thinking we have seen exhibited by two of our more predictable (in this regard) commentors.
I guess, having had a few close moose encounters myself, I should just shoot every moose I see because of their potential for injury. Why wait until they actually harm someone? Shoot them on sight, every one!
Gads! We move into their land, take over or destroy their food sources, blast away at them every chance we get and then turn around and tell folks from elsewhere to leave us alone because we know how to manage our wildlife. Anymore, it seems the only way we know how to manage them is into an early and often undeserved grave.
Given this bear was apparently known to be in the area and has cubs the smart thing would have been to postpone the event or move it to an area where no bears had been reported, especially with cubs. But, no...it did what any mother bear would do and now we have people calling for it to be killed for being a bear.
Heck...there are some Alaskans just don't deserve Alaska. Unfortunately, they are the ones that yell the loudest to shoot anything with four legs bigger than a vole.
I feel sorry for the girl. That was probably a pretty terrifying experience. But then so is being attacked by a moose intent on trampling you into the ground. Or someone's large dog running loose that figures you would be fun to go after because you are running away.
Or, most dangerous of all given it is responsible for more human injuries and deaths than any other species....other human beings.
lol ok sdoownek... you go ahead and be somewhere in the middle of the food chain. i however plan to stay on the top and die of old age.
Outdoor sports events like this are a perfect opportunity for the military to get some positive PR by providing infrared imagery field monitoring from a camera on a barrage balloon flown over the area.
Bears look very different from humans when looking at them through military optics, and the targeting computers can be reprogrammed for special uses making bears stand out like a sore thumb...
..then without targeting for an artillery strike on the bear a cellfone alert can be sent to the people in the area.
I like using "indian bear cookies"--
75% cookiedough, 25% powdered tobacco..
..it spoils their appetite and gets rid of intestinal worms.
After dining on these for a week they usually leave town looking for something more natural to eat like berries and fish.
don't use store bought tobacco, too expensive..
order up a truckload of greenleaf trash tobacco from North Carolina.
You think you're at the top of the food chain, eh, polarmark? Tell me...with what gun would you shoot the AIDS virus if you got infected? Which government agency would you insist traps and kills the Ebola virus eating its way through your system. Or perhaps a rampant E. coli infection. You know, O Food Chain King, you can't exist without that little bacterium, E. coli, but it can exist quite nicely without you. In a way, you exist to keep it fed, nurtured, cultured, growing, not the other way around. So next time you are all full of how grandiose it is to be a human being and "at the top of the food chain" just give a thought to how easy it is for something smaller than a minute to take you down to your inevitable decomposing state.....and not even miss your absence.
If she called 911 why couldn't they find her?
Oh, a correction, Daisy....there are not "millions of miles of territory" in Alaska where bears are safe. With the exception of a few parks, they are hunted by gunners in airplanes; by hunters on foot, in boats, on ATV's. Some even want to trap them. They are baited and then shot in one of sleaziest means of taking wildlife known to exist.
Truth be told...twice....bears were here long before humans, and there is nowhere bears are safe in Alaska for even in the parks where they should be safe there are poachers.
If we insist in plunking down our houses in prime bear territory, running foot and bike races through their known haunts, leaving the most delectable garbage parked outside our homes then we belie the sobriquet so often and mistakenly applied to we humans as the most intelligent species. Heck, even the youngest fledgling bird knows to heft its bottom over the edge of the nest to defecate whereas we humans continue to pollute the very air we breathe and the water we must have to survive.
dobieman.... You are so funny,LOL.
Dobieman....
You are that guy.....people like you make me laugh.
dobieman---
I've got tears in my eyes from laughing so hard. C'mon, stop man. You're killing me.
Our prayers are with that young lady and her family. We wish you well and healing that is close as possible to perfect. Been there done that with a cousin.
Our population keeps edging into their livingroom and back yards. It is not a matter of IF this happens, but as we know once more, WHEN. This young bike rider is not the last.
Have to admit one thing tho, I am in North Pole and use to live in your Anchortown in the mid 70's.
Look around you, you have taken up all but very few acreas WAAAAAAY up on the hills and it is a good thing there is still a post between you and Eagle River or it would be a suburb. I am not saying it is a bad thing, because mommy and daddies keep falling in love and having babies.................
Our prayers are with you young lady............
I do not think I care for this Dobieman? Never cared for the dog breed either. Kind of slow and not too bright.
I hope the young lady recovers without too much damage. I feel for her and her family.
It is bear country here so be prepared.
Pat
Regardless of who was here first,where the bike race was located. The point is that there is a 14 year old girl in the hospital fighting for her life. My thoughts and prayers are with her and her family. BTW, I'm all for killing the bears, if a human life is in danger.
My immediate reaction is---dark? It doesn't come near getting dark here right now. Guess Anchorage is enough south to get something like twilight. Hmmm... I think the bear was being a bear, and they might want to re-think the race location. Kill the bears that threaten humans, leave the rest alone. My hat is off to the young woman for having the wherewithal to call 911 when she had life-threatening injuries. She must be strong, and the circumstances of her rescue were pretty miraculous, both of which are good signs. And blessings on the brave person that stayed by her side under those circumstances! These events often bring out the best in people.
There are about 1000 moose and about 300 bears in Anchorage. Still, this kind of attack is pretty rare. In the last couple of years people have learned to use bearproof trash receptacles, so it is a well-known problem. It is a shame she was alone.
just read this, and finally este hit the nail on the head:
"It is a shame she was alone."
I wish her a full, speedy recovery.
To everyone else; dont go into bear country alone, unless you are very well prepared.
Exactly why people kill bears near villages. Even if they are three miles away, they can still be dangerous.
All these people going on and on about saving the bears, take a hike in bear country would you?! That poor little girl who thought her short life was probably going to end on that forest ground is fighting for her life! I'm sure if this article had said she already died many of you would be in favor of putting that bear down less they use your own kids for bait. Sheesh. My thoughts and prayers with her and her family.
I was going to comment of my own opinion..but on second thought I think I will keep my mouth shut in favor of the bear and of the young woman..... in the meantime I am praying for her family and for the young girl for a rapid recovery and that her life will not be scarred forever by her scars.... Hang in there Young woman and be strong and courageous and to her parents I say be strong for her..she is going to need your strength..... I offer mine in the Lord, He is there for you right now.
God Bless your healing!
Kath
Dobieman;you must be a non-breeder,to never bring an awful human into this world and ruin it.So why are still alive? Should'nt you end your life to save the planet?
@AKArmywife:
I'll not comment on your lack of self-identity.
Anyway, you suggest that those of us on the side of the bear take a hike in bear country,
(I do. A lot. I spend between 15 and 20 hours a week "out there")
and that if the bear had killed the girl that we'd be in favor of killing the bear
(No, wrong again. My opinion wouldn't have changed. You don't agree. So, now what?)
because we wouldn't want it to come after our own children.
(Children are only cute so their parents don't murder them. It's a proven anthropological fact. I know that upsets you. We disagree. Now what?)
Just so you know........
They should hunt down this bear and kill it. It will attack again and maybe the outcome next time will be different. This young woman was extremely lucky to be alive, and I hope someone can kill this bear before it does kill.
I nearly got run-down by a moose in Fairbanks while bike riding to work. It was early in the a.m. But, that was my risk with the full knowledge of my surroundings. I don't believe this "girl" was aware nor her parents aware of the dangers in that area of the Park. This is Alaska we are talking about, and I would not change a thing about it concerning the wildlife. She was basically in the bear's kitchen, near a river with the salmon running. I hope she makes a full recovery.
The first step of ignorance is reading sdoownek posts
250,000 to 350,000 black bears and 35,000 to 50,000 or more grizzly bears in Alaska with an ever-expanding population. For every two Alaskans at least one bear. Millions of acres where there are no humans and where bears cannot be hunted at all. Bears aren't like Yogi and Boo Boo just out looking for a pick-a-nik lunch. They are predators - made to be efficient killers by their creator.
With so many restrictions on taking bears they are decimating ungulate populations state wide. I say it's time to thin them out a little and time to either convince them they should stay out of urban areas or terminate those who won't listen to reason.
What exactly were the race organizers thinking when they planned this route? Even in the lower 48, with races in parks or major cities, race organizers have a responsibility to plan and coordinate events with the safety of participants and spectators always first in mind.
Do any of you know the race organizers?
Were any of you there at the riders meeting?
Do any of you know the parents?
I thought not.
Cycling in Alaska is a small community.
It's only 12:30 and looking out my window (I'm in Anchorage) it's pretty dark - if I were on the trails behind my house, even darker I'm sure. Poor kid - I feel for her and hope she recovers quickly. We hiked Flattop the other day and it's all anyone was talking about. It's all anyone is still talking about around town.
I don't think we should kill bears for being bears, though.
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