A man was injured in a bear attack Thursday on a Kenai Peninsula hiking trail when he accidentally got between a sow and its cub, according to Alaska State Troopers.
Troopers got a report of a bear attack on Hidden Creek Trail — near Skilak Lake, between Sterling and Cooper Landing — around 11:45 a.m. Thursday, John Dougherty, a spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Public Safety, said in an email. The 72-year-old man was attacked by a brown bear, troopers said in an online report Thursday evening.
Another person who was with the man at the time wasn’t hurt, troopers said.
Alaska Wildlife Troopers responded to the scene and the man was airlifted to a local hospital, troopers said, with “what are believed to be non-life threatening injuries.” Troopers said he was reportedly in stable condition.
Troopers were assisted by members of Central Emergency Services and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife officer, troopers wrote. The personnel who responded to the attack have since left the scene, and the bears are no longer in the area, troopers said.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game will continue an investigation, troopers wrote.