Bear Attack Victim Rescued by U.S. Coast Guard

For Alaska, the U.S. Coast Guard is accustomed to dealing with unique search and rescue demands including massive storms, huge distances, and even bears. On Friday July 16, a Coast Guard aircrew deployed from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak, located the individual and took action to save the victim of a bear assault. 

The pilot of the aircraft was about to land in Nome when he saw an SOS message on top of a shack at a local mining community. As they continued circling over the camp, the team discovered a man flailing his arms above his head, which is a well-known international distress signal. 

When the team landed, they learned that the man had been attacked by a bear earlier in the week. The bear continued to return to his camp every night for a week and harass him, he stated. When his friends reported him as being overdue for his return, it meant that he might had missed his flight to Nome. 

When the crewmen examined him, they discovered that he had bruising on his torso as well as a leg injury. They boarded him onto the aircraft and transported him to Nome where a medical emergency crew was waiting.