Homer Moose Stomps Man to Death, Updated

On Sunday morning, an irritable cow moose charged two men in Homer, kicking and stomping one to death, according to Alaska State Troopers. Medics, Troopers, and Alaska Wildlife Troopers responded to the scene and declared the man deceased; the moose has since left the area. No other information was available on Monday morning. 

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game reminds Alaskans that it is not that hard to find yourself between a cow moose and her new offspring, a dangerous position in which to be.

If a moose is about to charge, you might observe the long hairs on its hump raising, its ears laid back (much like a dog or cat), and it may lick its lips (if you can see this, you are way too close, Fish and Game reminds).

“A moose that sees you and walks slowly towards you is not trying to be your friend; it may be looking for a hand-out or warning you to keep away. All of these are dangerous situations and you should back away. Look for the nearest tree, fence, building, car, or other obstruction to duck behind,” ADF&G says.

UPDATE: The Anchorage Daily News reports that the man killed was "trying to photograph calves, per the Alaska State Troopers".

Bear Crashes Through Bedroom Window

Even though the local bird-cage line-slash-fishwrapper spends most of its time bashing President Trump, they still report local stories.

"Mom, Dad, there's a bear in my bedroom"

Eleven-year-old Zach Landis will never forget the sound of a black bear bursting through the double-paned window of his bedroom late Monday.

"It's hard to explain, but it's almost like a cannon burst through and hit straight past my ear," Zach said.

 

He recounted what happened from his family's South Anchorage home two days later, unscathed from the bizarre encounter.

 

Zach said he shot upright when he woke to the crash. He saw a figure the size of a grown man in his room. In the darkness and clamor, he struggled to make out what was near the foot of his bed. He watched it scratch at the walls and climb back through the window from which it entered before he could let out a scream and figure out what he had just witnessed — a bear crashing in and out of his garden-level bedroom.

 

Eleven-year-old Zach Landis was in his bedroom on June 26 when a black bear smashed through the window. He was uninjured. He is standing in the room with his mother, Alisa Landis, two days later. (Marc Lester / Alaska Dispatch News)

 

Follow the link for the whole story.

 

Two in two days: "Really odd"

‘Really odd’: 2 fatal maulings in 2 days by Alaska black bears

A sign alerts park users that the Bird Ridge trail is closed, Monday June 19, 2017. (Marc Lester / Alaska Dispatch News)

Patrick Cooper died Sunday as the 16-year-old came down Bird Ridge near Anchorage following a mountain race, the victim of an unusual fatal attack involving a black bear.

A day later, a Pogo Mine contract employee in the Interior was killed — also by a black bear.

Experts say fatal maulings by black bears in Alaska are rare.

Until the past few days, only six deaths had been linked to black bears in 130 years, according to a biologist compiling a report on Alaska bear attacks since 1880.

The sequence of events leading to Cooper's death is unknown beyond a text message he sent to a relative, saying he was being chased by a bear as he descended after finishing the 1.5-mile juniors division course of the Robert Spurr Memorial Hill Climb.

A state park ranger shot a black bear found near Cooper's body but the animal ran off.

Little information was available Monday about the attack on the Pogo contractor that left a second contract employee injured.

If black bears are found responsible for both deaths, it represents only the second time in recent history that black bears have killed someone in Alaska.

The last was Robert Weaver, a 64-year-old Fairbanks man who died following a black bear attack at his cabin near Delta Junction in 2013.

Black bears accounted for just 10 percent of bear attacks in Alaska dating back to 1880, according to reports compiled by two biologists working separately.

"The black bear — that's really odd," said Tom Smith, an associate professor at Brigham Young University who's studied bears since he worked as a biologist at Katmai National Park in 1992.

 

 

Click the link to read the whole article.

Woman Killed in Moose Attack

WASILLA, Alaska (KTUU) - A woman was killed in a suspected moose attack outside a Wasilla home on Sunday afternoon, Alaska State Troopers say.

Troopers were notified at around 3:17 p.m. yesterday that the woman’s body had been found in the front yard of her home on Timberview Drive in Wasilla. Troopers responded and identified the deceased woman as 74-year-old Pattie Cucinello.

The State Medical Examiner responded to the scene and took custody of the remains for an autopsy, troopers said. Cucinello’s family members were notified.

No foul play is suspected in Cucinello’s death, troopers wrote. According to spokeswoman Megan Peters, investigators found moose tracks in the yard where Cucinello was found and believe she may have been killed in a moose attack.

However, a cause of death still needs to be confirmed by the medical examiner, Peters said.

A Tale of Two Moose

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times (with apologies to Charles Dickens).

Story the first:

Hikers survive moose attack in Kincaid Park

ANCHORAGE (KTUU) - Two hikers are out of the hospital after being charged by a moose while hiking in Kincaid Park. The hikers say they were about a mile from the Kincaid Chalet at around 2 p.m. on Friday when they looked up at a plane overhead and didn't notice when the moose began charging.

“An instant I saw the body of the moose hit me full force and Catherine was right beside me,” said Melanie Sandstrom who suffered three cracked ribs, puncture wounds and bruises. “In a moment I was on the ground and it was just stomping on my back and on my head.”

Alongside Sandstrom was Catherine Dwinnell and her dog Molni who were also on the ground after being hit.

... The two hikers where then taken to the hospital. Dwinell had a broken wrist, gash on her shin, and broken ribs.

And the second:

Moose gave birth in Lowe's parking lot

Mama Moose, apparently after being chased by a bear, took refuge in Lowe's parking lot and gave birth. There's video at the link, but won't allow me to embed it here.

Slide show here.

"Moose Stomp 2 Alaska Women"

In a copyright story from www.adn.com:

Two Susitna Valley women were stomped by moose Thursday as they walked children to bus stops.

A woman in Talkeetna suffered injuries to her lower leg. The other woman had injuries to her ribs in a stomping near Willow. She was taken to a hospital, Alaska State Troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters said.

No children were hurt in either incident. Peters says both women placed themselves between the moose and the children to protect them.

... snip ... Moose encounters in Alaska are growing this year because of heavy snow. Moose have become agitated after having to walk through the snow to find food. Oftentimes they use roadways and cleared paths as a means of least resistance, putting them in the paths of people and vehicles.

Read the rest at the link.

Don't Mess With Our Seniors

From the Daily News:

An agitated moose ran down and stomped a well-known Bush pilot from Willow, but he was saved when his wife grabbed a shovel from their pickup truck and whacked the big animal until it backed off. 

George Murphy, 82, and his wife, Dorothea Taylor, 85, told the story of their recent moose encounter Sunday afternoon from Murphy's hospital room in Anchorage, where he is recovering from gashes to his head and left leg as well as seven broken ribs.

Alaskans ... gotta love 'em!