Woman mauled by bear while hiking on popular Alaska trail

Determined bear tries, but makes no progress against bear-proof garbage can

A bear in Alaska tries his smarts against a bear-proof garbage can. Credit: Sara Spicer via Storyful

A woman was attacked by a brown bear while hiking on a popular neighborhood trail in Anchorage, Alaska, this week. 

According to officials in Alaska, the unidentified hiker called 911 at around 3 p.m. Tuesday and told the dispatcher that she had been mauled by a bear about 2 miles into the Basher Trail in Stuckagain Heights. She told officials she couldn’t walk.

What happened to the bear? 

What we know:

Search and rescue crews used drones to find the woman, who said the bar ran off after it mauled her. She didn’t see which direction it was going. 

FILE - Property owner Kevin Stevens posts a notice about a bear attack on a trail in Anchorage, Alaska, in 2012. (Bill Roth/Anchorage Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

What we don't know:

As of Wednesday, the bear had not been located. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game blocked off the area and is searching for the bear. The woman’s condition is also not known. 

RELATED: Watch: Bear's hilarious attempt to pry open a trash can

Local perspective:

The trail is in the Chugach Mountains, which sit along Anchorage’s eastern border.

How many bears are in Alaska? 

By the numbers:

An estimated 100,000 black bears live in Alaska, along with about 30,000 brown bears, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Anchorage, which is by far Alaska’s biggest city, is home to about 290,000 people. Nearly 350 black bears, 65 brown bears and 1,600 moose also live there.