Woman attacked by bear in frigid Alaska outhouse
The woman was fortunately not seriously injured, and the bear had left by the following day.
Any backcountry hiker will tell you to be wary of bears while enjoying the great outdoors, and will even warn you to be mindful of them when using the outhouse – but most won't think to expect an attack from below.
That is, indeed, what happened to one woman, Shannon Stevens, who did run afoul of a bear while using an outhouse on an excursion with her brother and his girlfriend in the wilderness around 32 km northeast of Haines, Alaska.
"I got out there and sat down on the toilet and immediately something bit my butt right as I sat down," Stevens, who was not seriously injured, told The Associated Press.
Stevens fled to the nearby yurt that her brother owned, and in the morning, they found the bear had left the property but had left tracks all over. They suspect the animal entered the outhouse through an opening at the bottom of the back door.
"I expect it's probably not that bad of a little den in the winter," Stevens said.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game Wildlife Management Biologist Carl Koch told the AP it was likely a black bear, several of which had been seen in the area and are likely more active this winter because their food sources, such as the salmon run and berry crop, had been scarce.
