[at-l] Wrong place... wrong time

[creemos at pgmradio.org (creemos@pgmradio.org)]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Scott MacInnes set an Alaskan record this week, although not one contenders would seek to break, by becoming the state's first person to survive two bear attacks, state officials said on Wednesday. 
MacInnes, a 51-year-old biologist, was mauled during his early morning jog on Monday when he met up with a brown bear and one or two cubs near his home in the Kenai Peninsula town of Soldotna. 

He had been mauled 38 years earlier on a well-used hiking trail in the Chugach National Forest, according to a government biologist. 

"That's the only time in the history of the state that I have a record that anybody's been attacked twice," said Tom Smith, a bear biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey who keeps records of Alaska bear attacks dating to the late 1800s. 

The presence of a dog and a food source, a freshly killed moose found nearby, made the bear more aggressive, said Bruce Bartley, a spokesman for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. 

"There's just hardly any other factors that could make it worse," Bartley said. 

MacInnes was one of eight people in Alaska who had been attacked by bears while jogging, according to Smith's records. Including MacInnes' second attack, Smith's records recount 519 bear maulings in Alaska. 

MacInnes' first bear attack in 1967 resulted in wounds on his legs and an injured arm, but he was able to walk a few days later. 

Monday's attack, which took place about 60 miles southwest of Anchorage, appeared more serious, inflicting wounds on MacInnes' head, neck and abdomen. He is expected to make a full recovery. 

Outside of Alaska, a Canadian man claims to have been attacked on two occasions by polar bears, Smith said.

Spanky