Bear Attacks, Kills Army Solider From Alaskan JBER Base During Training
A Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson soldier was attacked and killed by a bear during training near the Anchorage, Alaska, base on Tuesday.
The attack occurred when the U.S. Army Alaska soldier was participating in a small group training in an area west of the Anchorage Regional Landfill, the base explained in a statement, Anchorage Daily News reported.
JBER said that the soldier’s name is being kept confidential until their family is notified.
Following the attack, wildlife troopers searched the area for the bear and were still searching into Tuesday evening.
The area is now closed for any type of recreational activity.
It is still unclear what type of bear attacked the soldier, along with any other additional details about what happened.
Officials from JBER said that more information would be released as it becomes available.
Bear attacks in Alaska are somewhat frequent. In 2019, The State of Alaska Epidemiology reported that between 2000-2017 there were 68 people that were hospitalized, and 10 people that died due to bear attacks.
In 2014, a bear attacked two soldiers at the same JBER base. The bear swatted at one of the soldiers and then "picked him up by the hip and tossed him," Reuters reported at the time.
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