Fatal Polar bear attack in Alaska

[John S.]

Location: Wales
Type: Fatal Bear Attack

Dispatch Text:

Update 1/18/23: Poor weather conditions in the region and the lack of runway lights in Wales prevented Troopers and Alaska Department of Fish and Game personnel from making it to Wales. Troopers are continuing to make efforts to fly to Wales today. The adult female killed in the attack is identified as 24-year-old Saint Michael resident Summer Myomick. The juvenile is identified as her 1-year-old son Clyde Ongtowasruk. Next of kin has been notified. The attack reportedly occurred in the village near the school. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has been notified of the incident.

Original: On January 17, 2023, at 2:30 pm, the Alaska State Troopers received a report of a polar bear attack in Wales. Initial reports indicate that a polar bear had entered the community and had chased multiple residents. The bear fatally attacked an adult female and juvenile male – it was shot and killed by a local resident as it attacked the pair. Troopers and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game are working to travel to Wales as weather conditions allow. Next of kin notifications are still in progress.

https://dailydispatch.dps.alaska.gov/Home/DisplayIncident?incidentNumber=AK23005442

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64315398

[David Thomas]

Update with victim’s names and ages: A 24-year-old woman and her 1-year-old son.  The bear was shot as it attacked the pair.

Polar bear kills woman and boy, chases residents in Alaska town before being shot, officials say (msn.com)

There are never many data points on polar bear attacks, thankfully, but the predicted increase from climate- and diet-stressed animals may be happening in the Arctic now.  Despite the villages existing for centuries, human deaths are on the increase.  It used to be that New Yorkers were at greater risk of polar bears than people in the Arctic:

1968 Churchill, Manitoba

1972 Toledo Zoo

1975 Inuvik, NWT

1976 Baltimore Zoo

1982 Central Park Zoo

1983 Churchill, Manitoba

1987 Brooklyn Zoo

1990 Point Lay, Alaska

1999 Nunavut

2018 (July) Nunavut

2018 (August) Nunavut

2023 Wales, Alaska
2023 Wales, Alaska

[Justin W]

While fatal polar bear attacks are rare, would counter balance with some holistic logic.  Polar bears stalking and/or being aggressive to humans is probably not as rare. Many of the people that live in these areas are either fairly constantly armed with serious guns, hunt, know how to shoot well, etc, and polar bears are often either scared away with warning shots or the like, or outright killed when necessary.

If these areas were populated primarily with say hippy pacifist vegans w/out any guns..not so sure fatal polar bear attacks would be as rare.

On the other hand, I’ve read/heard that Polar bears tend to be less aggressive than Grizzlies (like if there was a confrontation between them), and yet at the same time, tend to view humans more as potential prey than Grizzlies tend to.

[David Thomas]

Many brown bears are mostly vegetarian.   And the terrestrial animals they do eat are herbivores.   Moose are dumb!  So are caribou.
Polar bears hunt sea mammals who themselves are clever carnivores so the polar bear needs to be even smarter.

[Luke Schmidt]

I think you are both highlighting the fact that statistics don’t tell the whole story. Statistically you could make the argument that polar bears are less deadly, I’ve actually seen it somewhere. But I think in reality we’d all much rather meet a grass munching brown bear than a hungry polar bear.

[AK Granola]

Your perspective on or feelings about bears change quickly when they’re in your yard/village and they’re not running away as they usually do out on a trail. We haven’t had a black bear in the yard for a while, but I was charged once by one that didn’t want to give up trying to open my squirrel-proof feeder. It wasn’t even a big bear, but I felt pretty powerless in that situation! He backed off, thankfully. A few years back a grizzly was wandering through feeding on dog food on people’s porches. That also heightened awareness for all the neighbors.

I can’t imagine living with polar bears. I’m so sad for that family.

[Author]

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