Fish and Game closes investigation after confirming a lone male brown bear was responsible; drone surveys found no trace of the animal at the attack site.
soldiers during a land navigation training exercise at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in April, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced Thursday. The agency said it has officially closed its investigation into the April 17 attack, which occurred in a remote area of the base west of the Glenn Highway near an active bear den.
Both soldiers were injured in what wildlife officials described at the time as a defensive attack by a bear emerging from hibernation. Genetic testing conducted by the ADF&G Gene Conservation Lab in Anchorage confirmed the animal was a single male brown bear, ruling out the possibility that multiple bears were involved.
Critically, the DNA profile did not match samples from any previous investigations, including a similar defensive attack in 2022 in which a female brown bear with cubs charged humans near a den site on the base. Following the attack, Fish and Game biologists and JBER personnel conducted aerial drone surveys of the area using thermal cameras. No bears or other animals were detected, and there were no signs the bear had returned to the den site.
Wildlife officials noted that the findings are consistent with typical brown bear behavior in spring. Brown bears generally emerge from dens between late March and May and quickly disperse to begin foraging across vast territories, ranging from roughly 200 square kilometers for females to 500 to 600 square kilometers for males. A bear that dens in one location may spend the majority of the year miles away and may not return to the same den the following year.
Both soldiers had bear spray and deployed it during the attack, according to ADF&G. The agency used the occasion to urge Alaskans to carry and know how to use bear spray, and to check canisters for expiration dates, as expired spray may lose pressurization and fail to deploy properly. ADF&G said it is continuing to monitor bear activity reports across Anchorage, including on JBER.
Anyone who observes a brown bear or any wild animal behaving aggressively or unusually is asked to report it online at theWasilla teenager arrested for fatal shooting at house partyAlaska trooper opens fire after woman points gun at officers serving warrant PFD update: Citing dire consequences, senators send House operating budget rejecting last-ditch attempt for full dividendChugiak Class of 1976 set to open 50-year-old time capsule
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