Alaska woman hospitalized after being attacked by bear outside home

The victim was trying to protect her dog from the bear, investigators said.

July 10, 2026, 11:57 AM

A woman in Alaska was rushed to a hospital Thursday after she was attacked by a bear on the deck of her house while protecting her dog, investigators said.

The unidentified woman left her Kenai house with her two dogs around 4:54 a.m. when she encountered the brown bear and its two cubs, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety.

A bear sits in Brooks Camp in Bristol Bay, Alaska on Sept. 21, 2023.
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One of the dogs got back inside the home but another ran into the front yard, authorities said. The woman quickly picked up a shotgun from the home, went back outside and fired three or four rounds to scare the bears away, according to investigators.

The adult bear then attacked the woman while she was on her front deck, investigators said.

Another person who was at the house ran out and screamed at the bear, and it fled with its cubs, the Alaska Department of Public Safety noted.

Tern Lake in Kenai, Alaska.
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The victim sustained serious injuries in the attack and was airlifted to an Anchorage area hospital, according to investigators.

Her condition wasn't immediately revealed by the authorities.

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