An Alaskan rabbit hunter who happened upon a grizzly bear with cubs was forced to shoot and kill the momma bear with his .44 handgun when it began to maul him.
Nicholas Abraham, 34, was hunting on the Kenai Peninsula north of the Sterling Highway at mile 73.5 on Saturday at approximately 8:24 p.m. when the encounter occurred, according to the Alaska Wildlife Troopers.
“Abraham became aware of the sow when he was about 15 feet from her,” Troopers spokesman Justin Freeman told the Anchorage Daily News. “She was on him immediately after he became aware of her.”
Freeman told ADN that Abraham, a Sterling resident, managed to drive himself to the hospital where he was treated for minor injuries.
Troopers went to the scene of the attack Sunday but did not see any cubs on the site, Freeman told ADN.
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The Alaska Department of Fish and Game states that “You may kill a bear in defense of your life or property if you did not provoke an attack or cause a problem by negligently leaving human or pet food or garbage in a manner that attracts bears and if you have done everything else you can to protect your life and property.”
It also says, “If you have to shoot a bear, be sure you shoot to kill — wounded bears are potentially more dangerous than healthy bears.”
Generic photos courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game.