Beware of Bears From Below!

An Alaskan woman learned a hard lesson in February when she was bit by a bear while using an outhouse. It is believed the bear crawled inside trying to find a place that was out of the elements and perhaps even use it as a winter den. Upon later inspection, the woman and her two friends, found an opening in the back of the outhouse revealing how the bear got inside. 

The woman was in a backcountry area of Alaska, staying with her brother and his girlfriend in a yurt for the weekend, when she went to use the outhouse. It was late at night, and the two others came rushing to her aid when they heard her scream. The woman's brother grabbed a light and was confronted by a bear peaking its head out of the toilet when he went to investigate. 

The woman's wounds were not life-threatening and she treated them with basic supplies from a first aid kit. The next morning, in the light of day, the three noticed bear tracks all over the area but no sign of the bear. The area, just outside of Haines, Alaska has had unusually high reports of bear activities this winter. As reported in last month's blog, Bear Attack in Winter, bears aren't true hibernators and can often get up and move about in the winter months, especially if they didn't put on enough winter weight. This is likely the reason for the activity this year in and around Haines. 

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