Alaska hunter fatally shoots brown bear after attack left boy, 9, with ‘serious injuries’

One child was taken to hospital with “serious injuries” after a brown bear launched an attack against the juvenile and an adult male, Alaska troopers said.

The nine-year-old boy and 41-year-old-man were hunting in a game refuge area north of Anchorage when they were attacked by a lone bear on Tuesday, according to a statement issued by Alaska State Troopers.

The brown bear was believed to have attacked the boy, causing the adult to shoot and kill the bear at the scene, the statement said.

Both troopers and emergency medical services immediately respond to the scene upon receiving a call of a bear attack at about 6.37pm near the 36 mile mark on the Glenn Highway.

The boy, who sustained “serious injuries”, was taken to a Mat-Su area hospital along with the adult male, who had “minor injuries”.

No further details about the injuries, or the victims’ names, were provided.

“After a preliminary investigation, Troopers determined that the pair were hunting in the hay flats area when they came upon a brown bear,” the statement by officials said.

“The bear attacked the juvenile. During the attack, the adult male shot and killed the bear.”

Alaska state and wildlife troopers, as well as employees from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, were due to carry out an investigation of the scene on Wednesday.

According to CBS News, the atack was one of a handful of encounters between humans and bears this year – including in Michigan, Colorado, Oregon, Vermont and Wyoming.

Brown bears often come into contact with humans when searching for food, and according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game are “generally solitary in nature” although they can attack.