A bear mauling in the Bird Creek area has sent one woman to an Anchorage hospital. At about 10:20 Monday morning, Alaska State Troopers got a call for help from a hiker on the Penguin Ridge trail.
Alaska State Trooper’s spokeswoman Megan Peters says Troopers from Girdwood and emergency responders reached the scene, to find Suzanne Knudson, of Indian, age 59, with serious injuries, after having been attacked by a bear sow with two cubs.
”Ms Knudson told us that while she was jogging she saw two brown bear cubs essentially come out of the brush onto the trail in front of her. One of the cubs started to come towards her, and while that was happening she said she was hit from the side of behind by the mother bear.”
Some ATV riders found Knudson moments after the attack, and when Troopers arrived, an ATV driver gave the responding Trooper an ATV and guided him to Knudson. She was later medevaced to Anchorage.
Peters says the woman was jogging alone about a mile up the trailhead from a popular campground when she encountered the bears. Knudson suffered puncture wounds to her neck and back injuries, but her injuries are not life threatening.
Troopers say the woman was wearing headphones at the time of the attack and was not carrying bear deterant.
Alaska Fish and Game has closed the trail due to bear activity.
Read the Dispatch from AST
On 7/7/2014 at approximately 1020 hour, Alaska State Troopers were notified of a bear mauling on Penguin Ridge Trail, south of Anchorage near Indian. A woman, identified as Susanne Knudsen, 59 of Indian, reported she had been attacked by a bear and needed help. A Girdwood-based Trooper responded to the scene. A company called Alaska ATV Adventures was in the parking lot when the Trooper arrived. The company loaned the Trooper an ATV then the Trooper and a guide responded up the trail to where Knudson and other ATV riders were. With the assistance of Alaska ATV Adventures, Knudsen was transported to a nearby parking lot where she was picked up by LifeMed and medevac’d to a hospital in Anchorage to receive treatment for serious injuries that are not believed to be life threatening. Knudsen told AST that she was jogging on the Penguin Ridge Trail when she saw two brown bear cubs come out of the brush in front of her. She stated that one cub started to come toward her and then she was hit from behind by the mother bear. She told the Trooper she used her cell phone to call for help and shortly after the group of ATV riders came upon her. Alaska Fish and Game has been notified of the bear mauling and responded to the area. ADF&G has closed the trail due to bear activity in the area.
