Mother Bear Bites Hiker Twice After Being Chased by His Pet Dog

An Alaska hiker was bitten twice by a mother bear over the weekend after his dog started to chase it.

The hiker, an adult male, and his 13-month-old Border Collie dog were walking on the Kenai River Trail in Cooper Landing on Sunday.

The two then encountered a female brown bear and two cubs, at which point the hiker's dog gave chase, according to an Alaska Department of Public Safety (DPS) statement.

This caused the bear to charge at the hiker and bite him on the arm. The hiker then got into the Kenai River, where the bear followed him and attacked once again, biting him on the shoulder before leaving.

The hiker went back to his vehicle and called emergency services. He was transported to a nearby hospital where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge said in a Facebook post that the hiker's dog had initially remained loose in the area after the attack, "but recent community reports suggest that the dog was found and will be reunited with its owner."

The DPS stated on Monday that the bear had not been located, and added the Kenai River Trail near Skilak Lake has been closed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Kenai River Trail is a trail that follows the Kenai River through the forests that surround it. According to Alaska.org, "during mid-summer it is [teeming] with salmon, so watch out for bears and make noise on this hike!"

It is not the only bear attack to occur near Skilak Lake in recent weeks. On June 12, two people were attacked by a bear while camping along the lake's shoreline, the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge said in a Facebook post.

The two campers had first aid supplies and managed to load some of their things into kayaks before setting off towards a campsite boat launch around two hours away, according to Anchorage Daily News. They were then transported to hospital.

The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge said at the time it was holding an investigation into the incident and warned that "all of Alaska is bear country," pointing visitors towards an outdoor safety guide available here.

The refuge states that human-bear encounters are often "a result of human carelessness, especially with food."

Alaska is home to an estimated 30,000 brown bears statewide, according to the Alaska Department for Fish and Game. It is also home to an estimated 100,000 black bears—the smallest of the North American bears.