Alaska woman seriously injured in bear attack while jogging near her home

All three North American bear species roam and thrive in Alaska

(CNN) — A woman was seriously injured in a bear attack just steps from her home in southern Alaska, a state where all three North American bear species roam and thrive.

At 5:45 a.m. on Tuesday, the 36-year-old woman left her house for a jog in Kenai, a coastal city southwest of Anchorage, according to Alaska Wildlife Trooper’s dispatch.

She hadn’t gone more than 50 yards when a bear emerged from a neighboring property, Alaska Wildlife Trooper David Lorring told CNN affiliate KTUU. Without warning, the animal charged, dragging her roughly “100 yards down the road” and onto another property, Lorring said.

A neighbor discovered the injured woman before Kenai Police Department received a call at 6:58 a.m., according to dispatch records. Officers rushed her to a hospital in the Anchorage area. Her current condition is unknown.

CNN reached out to the police for updates on her condition.

State troopers, local police and a team from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game searched for the bear on foot, while a drone scanned from above. Despite their efforts, the bear was not found, police said Tuesday.

Evidence at the scene, including tracks, suggested it was a brown bear, KTUU reported. “Patrols of the area will continue, and the public is advised to remain vigilant while outdoors,” troopers said in a dispatch.

Wildlife troopers warned neighbors to closely supervise children and pets secure trash and pet food, and remain on guard. “If you encounter a bear, keep a safe distance and do not approach,” they said.

Alaska is home to about 100,000 black bears and about 30,000 brown bears, alongside nearly one thousand polar bears in the northern regions – making bear encounters common in some areas, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. In the state’s southern regions, where food is plentiful, brown bear populations can reach densities as high as one bear per square mile, the agency said in guidance about “Living with Bears.”

While Alaska is considered a “bear country,” attacks on humans are rare. Between 2000 to 2017, state health officials reported 10 fatal attacks and 68 hospitalizations due to bear-related injuries. Conservation efforts for brown bears on the Kenai Peninsula have been ongoing for at least two decades.

In July, two hikers in Anchorage were mauled in separate incidents within a week of each other, prompting officials to warn people to avoid streams with running salmon, the Associated Press reported. Neither hiker suffered life-threatening injuries.

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