ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A Fairbanks man was bitten on the head by a bear Saturday night on Kodiak Island, but came away with only minor injuries according to Alaska State Troopers.
According to a Monday AST dispatch, 48-year-old Rodd A. Moretz was approaching a brown bear he had just killed on the southern part of the island at about 6:30 p.m. when he walked past a bear den, from which he was charged by a Kodiak brown bear.
“Moretz tried to evade the charging bear; however, the bear pounced on him and both rolled down a hill approximately 50 feet,” troopers wrote. “During the fall, the bear and Moretz separated.”
According to AST spokesperson Megan Peters, officials believe the bear Moretz shot may have been harassing the one in the den, who may have been acting to protect cubs when it jumped out at him. Authorities do not plan to track or shoot the bear.
