Here's the score: Moose -- 6 (minimum), bears -- 2. Anchorage hospitals and emergency responders have been keeping busywith man vs. Alaska wildlife. What exactly is going on in thestate's largest city? No one has died. So far.
But the chaos is a little alarming. Thereis no precedent for this. It isn't even the middle of June, andthere's been a year's worth of big wildlife carnage doled out inthe city of The Big Wild Life. The numbers might even understate things. Many, possibly most,moose attacks don't get reported.
A fair number of the people whogo to the hospital after getting stomped are never noticed. Mooseattacks fly below the radar. The six this year might simply be due to better reporting, withpeople starting to take note after the big ungulates got especiallyunruly in one of the city's most popular parks. Also, an Eagle River mom made noise after a moose stomped her daughter so badly surgery was requiredto put 6-year-old Chloe Metzger back together. IPL Beauty Equipment
Metzger wasn't theonly one going to the hospital thanks to a belligerent moose. Cyclist Carla Smith got to visit the emergency room after a moose danced on her. A few others, such as cyclist Bruce Ross , probably should have visited medical professionals to getchecked, but gutted it out instead. Bad as the moose might be, though, the bears haven't been muchbetter around the Anchorage area. Howard Meyer was just out tromping around his old homestead on theedge of Eagle River when a lone grizzly bear decided to have its way with him. Co2 Fractional Laser Manufacturer
He's still recovering emotionally. And now comes Ben Radakovich . He went for a hike near another suburb of a sort called Bird justsouth of the city Sunday and ran into the worst bear to run into -- a grizzly sow with a cub or cubs. He had bear spray with which to ward off bears, but reported thatthings happened so fast he didn't get a chance to use it. The beardid to him what another bear did to Meyer. Laser Liposuction Equipment Manufacturer
Neither man was seriously injured physically, but emotionally it'sa different matter. Doctors who've studied bear mauling victimssaid most undergo severe emotional stress and some progress to fullon post-traumatic stress syndrome. Contact Craig Medred at craig(at)alaskadispatch.com.
But the chaos is a little alarming. Thereis no precedent for this. It isn't even the middle of June, andthere's been a year's worth of big wildlife carnage doled out inthe city of The Big Wild Life. The numbers might even understate things. Many, possibly most,moose attacks don't get reported.
A fair number of the people whogo to the hospital after getting stomped are never noticed. Mooseattacks fly below the radar. The six this year might simply be due to better reporting, withpeople starting to take note after the big ungulates got especiallyunruly in one of the city's most popular parks. Also, an Eagle River mom made noise after a moose stomped her daughter so badly surgery was requiredto put 6-year-old Chloe Metzger back together. IPL Beauty Equipment
Metzger wasn't theonly one going to the hospital thanks to a belligerent moose. Cyclist Carla Smith got to visit the emergency room after a moose danced on her. A few others, such as cyclist Bruce Ross , probably should have visited medical professionals to getchecked, but gutted it out instead. Bad as the moose might be, though, the bears haven't been muchbetter around the Anchorage area. Howard Meyer was just out tromping around his old homestead on theedge of Eagle River when a lone grizzly bear decided to have its way with him. Co2 Fractional Laser Manufacturer
He's still recovering emotionally. And now comes Ben Radakovich . He went for a hike near another suburb of a sort called Bird justsouth of the city Sunday and ran into the worst bear to run into -- a grizzly sow with a cub or cubs. He had bear spray with which to ward off bears, but reported thatthings happened so fast he didn't get a chance to use it. The beardid to him what another bear did to Meyer. Laser Liposuction Equipment Manufacturer
Neither man was seriously injured physically, but emotionally it'sa different matter. Doctors who've studied bear mauling victimssaid most undergo severe emotional stress and some progress to fullon post-traumatic stress syndrome. Contact Craig Medred at craig(at)alaskadispatch.com.