Alaska News

Man ticketed for feeding bear that attacked him

The man who was mauled by a black bear after tossing barbecue meat at the animal Saturday has been ticked for illegally feeding game, Alaska State Troopers say.

Jesus Mabalot, 38, was visiting an area near Eklutna Lake Campground for a church picnic when he went for a bicycle ride, said trooper spokeswoman Beth Ipsen. Mabalot had been drinking and took some barbecue with him, she said.

He stopped, straddling his bicycle, and threw some kind of meat on a stick at the bear.

"The bear ate it," Ipsen said. "He threw another one at the bear, the bear ate it. And that's when the bear attacked him."

A ranger reported the mauling to troopers at about 5 p.m., she said. Mabalot suffered scratch wounds to his back and a wound to his chin, she said.

Doctors treated the man for minor injuries at Alaska Regional Hospital, where he was interviewed by a trooper before his release.

"He was able to give us some details. We couldn't get a very specific location of where this happened because of a language barrier," Ipsen said. "I don't know if this had anything to do with it, but the trooper said he could tell he had been drinking too. He was intoxicated."

ADVERTISEMENT

It is illegal in Alaska to feed moose, deer, elk, bears or other wild game without a permit. The fine for the citation is $310, according to troopers.

"It's kind of like a ticket. A speeding ticket. You can contest in court if you want to, or you can just pay the fine," Ipsen said.

Troopers cited Mabalot Sunday night, she said.

Mabalot's court record includes convictions for criminal mischief and fourth-degree assault in 2012, and illegal use of a phone or electronic communication and malicious destruction of property in 2011, court records show.

Twitter updates: twitter.com/adn_kylehopkins. Call Kyle Hopkins at 257-4334 or email him at khopkins@adn.com.

By KYLE HOPKINS

khopkins@adn.com

Kyle Hopkins

Kyle Hopkins is special projects editor of the Anchorage Daily News. He was the lead reporter on the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Lawless" project and is part of an ongoing collaboration between the ADN and ProPublica's Local Reporting Network. He joined the ADN in 2004 and was also an editor and investigative reporter at KTUU-TV. Email khopkins@adn.com

ADVERTISEMENT