Denali National (The Camping Canuck) – A grizzly bear charged, bit and scratched a hiker in Denali National Park Friday, promoting officials to kill the animal. according to People.
28-year-old Fangyuan Zhou was hiking the Savage Alpine Trail on July 1 when she came into contact with a small grizzly bear.
Zhou was with friends when she encountered the bear, described as a small grizzly aged between 2 and 5 years old.
The group had seen the bear earlier and were trying to avoid it, but the animal eventually charged them. Before it attacked, Park Rangers say the group “played dead.”
The bear attacked Ms Zhou before walking away. It returned a few minutes later, then ran off when the group threw rocks at it.
Don’t Play Dead Prematurely Warns Park
“While playing dead is an appropriate response when physical contact with a bear occurs or is imminent, playing dead prematurely can invoke a curiosity response from a bear. Park guidelines do not recommend playing dead prior to contact,” a statement from the park read.
Ms Zhou was treated for her wounds at the park and then decided to drive herself to Anchorage hospital to be treated.
The National Park Service has made the decision for euthanization the aggressive bear. The same day of the attack on Zhou, there were 10 visitors, in a group, who scared off the bear. On June 22 there was another hiker attacked, as well as several hikers who were using the Savage trails, being charged. Food was also stolen by this bear from park attendees.
Wildlife technicians have tried to use aversion techniques on the bear but this bear has been deemed to be a high-risk animal. The Denali Park hiking trails have been partially closed.
Because of its so called “erratic behavior,” the bear will be located and killed as soon as possible, according to the National Park Service.
Photo Credit: The original uploader was Bobisbob at English Wikipedia(Original text: Nickles, Jon) – [1], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3743472