A 62-year-old Funny River man is recovering after suffering major injuries from a brown bear attack near mile 11 of Funny River Road on Sunday.
Danny High underwent surgery Monday morning, his wife said.
“His condition is serious but improving,” Janice High said, declining to comment on the extent of her husband’s injuries.
The 62-year-old was walking less than a quarter of a mile from their home when he was mauled, she said.
Central Emergency Services Captain Terry Bookey said CES personnel were called out to the scene at 4:45 p.m. after High called 9-1-1.
“The first unit was on scene at 4:58 p.m.,” Bookey said. “We requested Life Med at 5:03 p.m.”
High was first airlifted to a hospital in Anchorage, Bookey said, and is now being treated at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, said a hospital representative.
Troopers were called at 4:36 p.m. and were not able to find the bear after the attack, according to an Alaska State Trooper dispatch. High was not armed with a gun or bear spray when he was attacked, according to the report.
Reach Megan Pacer megan.pacer@peninsulaclarion.com and reach Rashah McChesney at rashahmcchesney@peninsulaclarion.com
