Share

Alaskan woman, mauled by bear, walks to truck and drives to hospital

accreditation
Grizzly bear, from Shutterstock
Grizzly bear, from Shutterstock

A 57-year-old Alaskan hiker survived after being mauled by a brown bear on a wilderness trail, walking more than a mile to her truck and driving to hospital after the attack, state police reported on Wednesday.

Thea Thomas was hiking on Tuesday along the Heney Ridge Trail in Cordova, a remote and sparsely populated coastal fishing community southeast of Anchorage, near a stream in which salmon were spawning when two dogs she had with her ran ahead.

The dogs soon sprinted back to her chased by a bear, which she estimated to be between 6 to 7 feet, reared on its hind legs. 

She told the Alaska Dispatch News she was bitten about seven times, the worst to her back and inner thigh.

"I started to hear this growling," Thomas told the newspaper from an Anchorage hospital where she had been airlifted on Wednesday. "By the end, I was thinking, 'I could die here'."

Thomas returned to her truck, some 1.5 miles away, after the attack, according to a report by Alaska State Troopers.

Thea Thomas (image fromThea Thomas via Facebook) toldADN News that she hiks the mountains all the time. Thea is a commercial fisherman. The dog pictured here was not involved in the attack. 

Thea Thomas, of Cordova, was attacked by the bear while hiking on Heney Ridge Trail in the Cordova area

Image at top: grizzly bear from Shutterstock

Read more:

How to avoid a shark attack
How to handle being attacked by an elephant
Shell will stop drilling in Alaska in 2014
The bear bile industry in Korea is thankfully dying out
How do polar bears survive their high-fat diet?
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE