KENAI -- A jogger was mauled by a brown bear on the Kenai Peninsula in what state officials are calling the first mauling of 2008.

The mauling is being blamed on improperly stored garbage.

Larry Lewis, a wildlife technician who investigated the mauling for the Division of Wildlife Conservation, said he found several large buckets of garbage on the victim's porch, about 150 yards from where the mauling occurred.

The 43-year-old victim, who has not been identified, was charged by a sow with two cubs when he left his home early Tuesday. The man ran but the bear quickly caught him, biting his buttocks, the back of his head and his chest. The victim was able get home under his own power.

He underwent surgery at a local hospital.

In addition to the garbage and presence of cubs, Lewis said, the victim's rapid movement likely triggered the bear's chase instinct. Experts suggest people in such situations play dead once a bear makes contact.

Lewis said the man also had an old chicken coop in his yard and a rabbit hutch. Penned livestock also attact bears.

At this time of year, joggers, walkers, hikers, oilfield workers and hunters are urged to be particularly watchful on the central Kenai Peninsula, where bear attacks are a constant danger.