Experts say 2 fatal maulings by black bears are unusual

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Back-to-back fatal maulings of people by black bears in Alaska appear to be flukes by rogue animals, experts said Tuesday.

In the first attack, a black bear killed a 16-year-old runner Sunday who got lost competing in a mountain race south of Anchorage. On Monday, a man working at a remote gold-exploration site several hundred miles away was mauled to death. A second worker was injured by the same black bear.

Such predatory maulings by black bears are extremely rare, akin to being struck by lightning, state Fish and Game spokesman Ken Marsh said.

“To have two in two days is an anomaly,” he said. “It just doesn’t happen.”

Attacks by brown or grizzly bears are far more common, particularly in defensive actions such as a female bear protecting her cubs, experts said.

Now-retired state bear biologist John Hechtel tracked Alaska’s fatal bear maulings between 1980 and 2014, counting only three fatal maulings by black bears. There were 15 killings by brown or grizzly bears during the same period and one death by a polar bear.

Hechtel said he can’t say why the most recent black bear attacks occurred, given so much remains unknown. But he doesn’t believe it points to any trends.

The best defense against bear attacks, say Hechtel and others, is for people who head into Alaska’s back country to carry bear repellant or guns. Hechtel is an advocate for carrying bear repellant, however, saying it’s a safer alternative than guns for people who aren’t sharpshooters.

A nerve-wracking encounter with a black bear several years ago prompted Juneau mountain runner Dan Lesh to begin carrying bear repellent spray on his excursions, and this week’s deaths are a key topic of conversation among Juneau runners. “It hits home,” he said.

But he quickly added he will not give up running in the wilderness. “These are low-probability events,” Lesh said.