Brown Bear Attacks Alaskan Jogger to Protect Cubs

A brown bear sow defending its two cubs mauled a woman jogging through an Alaska trail Sunday, leaving the woman bloodied and struggling to walk two miles to find help, authorities said.

The victim, who has asked that her identity not be released, was hospitalized and is now in stable condition after the attack on an Air Force base in Alaska, The Associated Press (AP) reported.

After getting separated from her soldier husband on the northwestern part of the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, the woman reportedly turned the corner and came upon a brown bear with two cubs in tow.

"The bear attacked her, defending her babies, seeing her as a threat," said Mark Sledge, senior conservation law enforcement officer at the base.

It is unclear whether the woman was knocked unconscious or played dead until the ordeal was over, but the ferocious bear took at least one swipe at her and knocked her down, officials said. She suffered lacerations to her arms, legs, neck and torso before the bear left the site, according to the New York Daily News.

Officials are calling the woman heroic after she managed to get to her feet and walk about 2 miles uphill looking for help before a soldier driving in the area spotted her and brought her to the base hospital. From there she was transferred to Alaska Native Medical Center.

"The survival instinct for that woman is phenomenal," Sledge added.

Sledge reported that the bear was likely between 7 and 8 feet tall, judging by marks from the 7-inch rear paw pads, and that the woman was lucky to be alive.

Bear sightings are not rare in this area - officials estimate that up to 40 brown bears and up to 300 black bears migrate through the base seasonally, the AP reported. And springtime in Alaska can be particularly dangerous, Sledge noted, given that it's a time when wildlife such as bears and moose will aggressively defend their young.

Officials will unlikely take any action against the bear because it was simply defending it's young.