WALES, ALASKA: A polar bear attacked and killed a woman and boy in a remote village in the US state of Alaska on Tuesday.
State troopers said they received reports of the attack at 2:30 pm local time on Tuesday in Wales, adding that initial reports indicated that the polar bear had entered the community and chased multiple residents before it was gunned down by a resident as it attacked the two individuals.
The names of the victims had not been made public as the troopers were still working to notify their families.
The state troopers and the Department of Fish and Game were planning to travel to Wales as soon as weather permits to investigate the incident.
Scientists warn of increased polar bear encounters
In 2019, scientists at the US Geological Survey observed changes in sea ice habitat which coincided with evidence that bears had increased using land and that the chances of a polar bear encounter had increased.
Fatal bear attacks are not common in Alaska. In 1990, a man in the village of Point Lay, farther north of Wales, was killed by a bear. Biologists later said the animal depicted signs of starvation.
