Before a local could shoot and kill the bear during the attack, a polar bear entered a secluded hamlet community in Alaska and hunted down and killed a woman and a little boy.
Approximately 2:30 pm on Tuesday, a polar bear reportedly invaded the isolated village in Wales, Alaska, the westernmost part of the American peninsula and home to about 170 people, according to authorities.
The Alaska Department of Public Safety issued a statement on Tuesday following the attack, saying that “initial accounts suggest that a polar bear had entered the village and had chased many persons.” An older female and a young male were killed by the bear.
Authorities claim that when the bear assaulted the victims, a nearby homeowner shot and killed it.
Polar bear attacks are extremely uncommon, however the Alaska Department for Fish and Game reports that male polar bears can weigh up to 1,200 pounds and female polar bears between 400 and 700 pounds. They live for roughly 25 years on average.
According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, “current and anticipated future losses in sea ice caused the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to label polar bears as threatened under the ESA (Endangered Species Act) throughout their habitat.” The amount of time polar bears have to hunt may be reduced by thinner summer ice and longer ice-free summer seasons, which could lead to population decreases.
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