Polar bear that chased and killed young Alaskan mother and baby was in poor health

By MARK THIESSEN | Related Press

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A polar bear that killed a younger mom and her child final month in western Alaska was probably an older animal in poor bodily situation, however exams got here again adverse for pathogens that have an effect on the mind and trigger aggressive conduct, officers mentioned Monday.

Dr. Kimberlee Beckmen, a state wildlife veterinarian, collected and examined samples from the bear’s head the day after the assault, when climate circumstances allowed her and an Alaska State Trooper to fly to the village.

The outcomes of her evaluation, which have been launched Monday however initially have been dated Feb. 3, point out the bear was an grownup male, in all probability older and in poor bodily well being. Officers despatched a tooth to a lab to find out the bear’s age, however these outcomes received’t be recognized for months.

Commonplace exams performed on accessible tissues for pathogens have been adverse for rabies, toxoplasmosis, distemper and avian influenza.

“There isn’t a definitive clarification as to why the bear was in poor physique situation,” the Alaska Division of Fish and Sport and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service mentioned in a joint assertion.

Summer season Myomick and her 1-year-old son, Clyde Ongtowasruk, have been mauled to demise Jan. 17 as they left the college in Wales, Alaska, for a brief stroll of about 150 yards (137 meters) to the city’s medical clinic.

Faculty staff tried to cease the assault by hitting the bear with shovels, however it turned on them and chased as they went again inside for security. The principal slammed the door to maintain the bear out of the college, which was in session.

A village resident later arrived with a gun and killed the animal.

It was the primary deadly polar bear assault in Alaska in three many years.

Polar bears are the most important bear species, in line with the Fish and Wildlife Service. Males usually weigh 600 to 1,200 kilos (270 to 540 kilograms) however may be greater than 1,700 kilos (770 kilograms) and attain as much as 10 toes (3 meters) in size. Females weigh 400 to 700 kilos (180 to 320 kilograms). Polar bears typically feed on seals but in addition prey on walruses and beluga whales.

They have been listed as threatened underneath the Endangered Species Act in 2008 and are additionally protected underneath the Marine Mammal Safety Act. Each legal guidelines prohibit harming the bears with out authorization except crucial for human security.

Wales, a whaling village of about 160 folks, is situated about 640 miles (1,300 kilometers) northwest of Anchorage and is accessible by aircraft or boat.