Hiker injured by bear on Jones Point Trail in Haines, animal not located

A hiker attacked by a bear on the Jones Point Trail in Haines on Monday afternoon self-rescued and is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, Alaska Wildlife Troopers said. The bear has not been located.

The attack happened at about 4 p.m. Troopers were not notified until about 11 p.m., according to the dispatch. The bear is believed to be a sow with a cub. Troopers and Haines Police are attempting to locate the animal. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is investigating.

The dispatch does not say whether the hiker was alone, whether she carried a deterrent, or whether a trail closure has been ordered.

The report follows an Aug. 29 attack in Haines. In that case, a resident walking a leashed dog on Mt. Riley Road was seriously injured and treated in Juneau. Investigators found food waste dumped near the road and collected DNA samples for the Gene Conservation Lab in Anchorage. The department said the investigation suggests, rather than confirms, a defensive response. The Haines Borough closed the Lily Lake Trail afterward. Authorities had not identified that bear as of the latest available reports.

The department's guidance distinguishes two kinds of encounters. "Defensive encounters are when bears act aggressively because they feel threatened, such as when a hiker surprises a female bear with cubs," the department says. Non-defensive encounters involve bears that are curious, testing dominance, food-conditioned or habituated. There, the advice is to show the bear you will fight if attacked.

A statewide epidemiology bulletin covering 2000 through 2017 found that 68 people were hospitalized after 66 unique bear attacks in Alaska during that period. Seventy percent of those hospitalizations occurred from June through September.