Polar bear’s fatal attack on mother and son leaves Alaska community reeling

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Two days after a polar bear killed a 24-year-old woman and her year-old son in the Bering Strait village of Wales, community members continued to grieve as questions linger over what may have contributed to the fatal mauling.

Summer Myomick was leaving the Kingikmiut School in Wales with her young son, heading to the village clinic Tuesday afternoon in whiteout conditions with poor visibility, when the polar bear attacked, Alaska State Troopers spokesman Austin McDaniel said.

Their deaths represent the first fatalities from a polar bear mauling in Alaska in more than 30 years.

In a joint statement, the Alaska Nannut Comanagement Council, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said they do not know what may have caused or contributed to the fatal attack, but are working together to gather more information about the incident. Troopers weren’t aware of any other injuries stemming from the mauling, McDaniel said.

When school employees heard about the attack outside on Tuesday, students and staff hunkered down inside the building with blinds drawn so the children couldn’t see what was happening, said Susan R. Nedza, chief school administrator with the Bering Strait School District. Several school employees stayed at the front and, at one point, stepped outside with the wind howling.

“A couple of employees were outside and actually hit the bear with shovels to try to get it to go away,” said Nedza, who is based in Unalakleet. “It would not stop its attack and actually followed them as they ran for safety to get inside the school.”

The employees slammed the door on the bear and started calling for help to the clinic and around town, to get somebody with weapons to take care of the bear, all the while “keeping the kids maintained where they were,” Nedza said.