Man hunting rabbits shoots and kills attacking bear, Alaska troopers say

Don Sweeney

Mon, June 12, 2023 at 7:08 AM PDT·1 min read

A man hunting rabbits was injured by a brown bear possibly defending its cubs and was forced to shoot and kill it, Alaska State Troopers reported.

The 34-year-old manreported being attackednear Sterling at 8:24 p.m. Saturday, June 10, troopers said in a dispatch.

He shot and killed the bear with a .44-caliber pistol, troopers said. The man’s injuries were not life-threatening.

Sterling is a community ofroughly 6,000 peopleabout 145 miles southwest of Anchorage.

Bear attacks in the U.S.are rare, according to the National Park Service. In most attacks, bears are trying to defend their food, cubs or space.

There are steps people can take to help prevent a bear encounter from becoming a bear attack.

Exposing the Big Game