Alaska News

Photos: Karan Nixon's disabled rabbit, Tubby

A bear ate Karan Nixon's last charge, but she has a new one. Tubby has moved in to take the place of George, the crippled rabbit the Alaska woman last saw two years ago being carried from her yard in the jaws of a black bear.

She immediately gave chase, barefoot and unarmed, and became five minutes of famous in Alaska's largest city.

Never has one woman done so much for one pet, but alas it was not enough. George was never seen again. Nixon grieved long and hard. She considered his demise her fault for letting him out to enjoy the sun and grass in her Muldoon yard, and then not adequately patrolling the perimeter. Such is the nature of things in the Big Wild Life, as the Anchorage Visitors and Convention Bureau promotes the city.

The bears are not quite everywhere, but they are out there.

Chasing them unarmed is not, of course, a recommended practice in the 49th state or elsewhere, even if the bear has just snatched the rabbit on wheels that has become your pal. Authorities warned others not to mimic Nixon's behavior if their pet was snatched. Some thought Nixon a bit touched for even trying to wrest George from the jaws of an animal known to eat humans -- as well as bunnies.

READ MORE: He's no George, but Tubby the rabbit will steal your heart too

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