A grizzly bear attacked a 55-year-old tourist from Indiana in Denali National Park and Preserve on Monday night.
A park bus driver called 9-1-1 after picking up the injured man at the Eielson Visitor Center in Alaska, according to a National Park Service News Release. Off-duty medical professionals provided first aid to the man while on the bus.
Park officials said the man was hiking alone at the Thoroughfare Pass area of the national park when he was attacked by a grizzly bear with two cubs. https://t.co/5KuTZYK7DG
— Alaska’s News Source (@AKNewsNow) August 24, 2021
The man was hiking alone around the Thoroughfare Pass area when the bear, which was with two young cubs, charged him. After the attack, the man hiked one and a half miles to seek help. (RELATED: Man Attacked By Grizzly Was Terrorized By The Bear For An Entire Week)
The man was able to use bear spray, but not until after the bear had already knocked him to the ground. He suffered “puncture wounds to his calf, left ribs, and left shoulder.”
Since the attack was defensive, the National Park Service will not attempt to locate the bear. Park officials decided to close backcountry units 11 and 12 for one week as a result of the attack.
In July, a camper was killed in Montana as a result of a grizzly bear attack. A backcountry guide also died from his injuries in April after a grizzly attacked him in Yellowstone National Park.