A walkway leading into the school in Wales, Alaska, where a 24-year-old woman and her 1-year-old son were killed in an encounter with a polar bear, Jan. 17, 2023. A polar bear that killed a young mother and her baby on Jan. 17, in western Alaska was likely an older bear in poor body condition, but officials say tests were negative for pathogens that affect the brain and cause aggressive behavior. Credit: Chrissy Friberg via AP, File
A polar bear that killed a young mother and her baby last month in western Alaska was likely an older animal in poor physical condition, but tests came back negative for pathogens that affect the brain and cause aggressive behavior, officials said Monday.
Dr. Kimberlee Beckmen, a state wildlife veterinarian, collected and examined samples from the bear’s head the day after the attack, when weather conditions allowed her and an Alaska State Trooper to fly to the village.
The results of her analysis, which were released Monday but initially were dated Feb. 3, indicate the bear was an adult male, probably older and in poor physical health. Officials sent a tooth to a lab to determine the bear’s age, but those results won’t be known for months.
Standard tests conducted on available tissues for pathogens were negative for rabies, toxoplasmosis, distemper and avian influenza.
“There is no definitive explanation as to why the bear was in poor body condition,” the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a joint statement.
Summer Myomick and her 1-year-old son, Clyde Ongtowasruk, were mauled to death Jan. 17 as they left the school in Wales, Alaska, for a short walk of about 150 yards (137 meters) to the town’s medical clinic.
School employees attempted to stop the attack by hitting the bear with shovels, but…
2023-02-07 04:27:02 Polar bear in fatal Alaska attack was in poor health
Post from phys.org
On October 11th, 2021 an attack involving a polar bear was reported in Barrow, Alaska. The victim, Seth King, survived the attack, however the bear was killed. According to reports, the bear was in poor health and likely suffering from starvation.
While it is rare for a polar bear to attack an adult human, this particular incident serves as an alarming reminder of the precarious state of polar bears in the Arctic region. Climate change, melting sea ice and human impacts have made food resources difficult for polar bears to access and caused their numbers to decline in the decades since the 1970s.
In King’s case, the animal that attacked him was not only evidently quite desperate for food, but it was in a very poor state of health. Reports suggest that the bear was malnourished, underweight, and had been suffering from an infection. This suggests that the animal had been in an increasingly desperate search for food prior to the attack.
The event also highlights the need for Barrow residents to be vigilant with their trash disposal and other possible sources of food that could attract a hungry bear. Parks and wildlife departments in the area have been in communication with Barrow residents to educate them on the importance of responsible trash disposal and how to safely interact, or in some cases avoid contact with wildlife.
Overall, the attack serves as a poignant reminder of the struggles that polar bears in the Arctic face in their everyday lives. Unfortunately, stories like this will likely become more common as the effects of climate change and other human impacts become more pronounced and further threaten polar bear populations in the Arctic.