2 p.m.:
Funny River resident Danny High underwent surgery Monday morning after being attacked by a brown bear near his home on Sunday, 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 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 center representative.
Original Story:
A 62-year-old Funny River man suffered major injuries after being attacked by a brown bear near mile 11 of Funny River Road.
Danny High was flown from the scene via Life Med, according to an Alaska State Troopers dispatch on the incident.
He owns property near the site of the attack which is near the Kenai River State Recreation Site, according to Kenai Peninsula Borough records.
Troopers were called at 4:36 p.m. and were not able to find the bear after the attack, according to the dispatch. High was not armed with a gun or bear spray when he was attacked, according to the report.
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