News Release

Fatal Grizzly Bear Attack in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve

Date: September 22, 2020
Contact: Jan Maslen, 907-822-7206

Copper Center, AK — A hunter was killed by a grizzly bear in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve on Sunday, September 20, 2020. The hunter was on a 10-day moose hunt with a friend near the Chisana River drainage at the time of the attack.

The incident is the first known bear mauling fatality recorded in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve since the park was established in 1980. Visitors are encouraged to be Bear Aware when traveling in the backcountry and take precautions such as carrying bear spray and using Bear Resistant Food Containers (BRFC). The park also encourages hunters to read Bear Safety for Hunters located on the ADF&G website: http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=hunting.bearsafety

The identity of the deceased hunter is being withheld pending investigation.
 

www.nps.gov/wrst

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 419 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube @nationalparkservice. #FindYourPark