2 Portage Valley campsites closed to some users after bear attacks tent campers

Updated: 49 Some minutes ago Published: 49 Some minutes ago

Two U.S. Forest Service campgrounds in Portage Valley will remain closed to some users through the end of the month following a black bear attack last week that involved two people sleeping in a tent.

The bear entered a tent at a campsite in the Williwaw Campground early Friday morning and injured a woman, authorities said.

The woman and a man were awakened about 2:30 a.m. by a bear biting and scratching at their tent, said Cyndi Wardlow, a regional supervisor for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The bear inflicted injuries on the woman’s face and she was treated at a hospital, said Brandon Raile, a spokesman for the Chugach National Forest. The injuries were not life-threatening, he said.

The bear left the area shortly after injuring the woman, Wardlow said.

The Forest Service closed the Black Bear and Williwaw campgrounds to soft-sided RVs and tents on Friday through June 28.

There was no food or other items that typically attract bears in the tent, and it’s not clear what led to this rare encounter, Wardlow said. “The people involved did everything right, and it’s just a very unusual situation that this bear still tried to get into their tent even though there was no attractant involved.”

Officials with the Fish and Game Department collected samples from the tent and confirmed a single male black bear was involved, Wardlow said. They are monitoring the area along with Alaska Wildlife Troopers, police and the Forest Service for reports of unusual bear activity, she said. As of Tuesday afternoon, the bear had not been found.

Before Friday’s encounter, there had been no reports of worrisome bear behavior in the area, Wardlow said. She encouraged anyone who encounters a bear behaving unusually to report it to the Fish and Game Department online or by calling their local office.