A Seattle college student, who works as a geological engineer, escaped death at the hands of a Grizzly bear over the weekend.
20-year-old Julia Stafford and a colleague were taking soil samples in a ravine near Paxson, near the Richardson Highway.
Stafford and her colleague spotted the bear, and got into a crouched position, but it was too late.
“The bear started walking towards us, then running towards us, then it jumped on us,” said Stafford. “He grabbed me by the hand and dragged me 20 feet down the rocks,”
The bear let go of Stafford and took off. She was taken to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, and is expected to get further treatment on the hand in Seattle.
The attack is the second in three days, a San Diego man died after being mauled by a Grizzly at Denali National Park.
Wildlife officials say basic precautions like traveling in groups and making noise are the best way to fend off a bear if it attacks. There are still things you can do to stay alive if a bear attacks you.
“Try to get on your stomach, protect your head and neck as well as you can,” said Dave Battle with Alaska Fish & Game. “If you have a pack, sometimes the bear will be tearing away at the pack.”
Battle says bears will be out foraging for as much food as they can before going into hibernation in October.
Editor's Note: KTVF in Fairbanks contributed to this story.
