A young mum and a baby were mauled to death by a polar bear outside a school. During the harrowing attack, a school teacher was force to shield pupils from the horror outside.
The awful event, which claimed the lives of Summer Myomick, 24, and her one-year-old, Clyde, happened in Alaska, US, on Tuesday, January 17. The mother stepped out into a blur of blowing snow with her son bundled up to protect him from the freezing winds whipping off the Bering Sea, the Mirror reports
Summer had visited relatives at the health clinic about 150 yards away from Kingikmiut School in the city of Wales. Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Austin McDaniel says it appears the mother and toddler had no idea what was coming because of low visibility.
The pair made it just beyond the front of the school gates when the polar bear emerged and mauled them. As the fatal attack unfolded, the headteacher at the school ordered a lockdown and closed the blinds so the children inside couldn’t see what was happening outside the entrance.
Several brave employees and community members left the safety of the building and tried to scare away the bear with shovels. The mauling stopped temporarily, but only when the beast turned on them, and they rushed back inside.
Susan Nedza, chief administrator of the Bering Strait School District says principal Dawn Hendrickson slammed the door in the face of the charging bear, possibly saving lives. She said: “The polar bear was chasing them and tried to get in as well. Just horrific. Something you never think you would ever experience.”
As there is no law enforcement in Wales, a whaling community on the westernmost point on the North American mainland, a call went out to community members for help. A local showed up with a gun and killed the bear as it continued to savage the mother and son.
Alaska scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey in 2019 found changes in sea ice habitat had coincided with evidence that polar bears’ use of land was increasing and that the chances of a polar bear encounter had risen
The World Wildlife Fund said: "Polar bears’ powerful sense of smell attracts them to human waste, stored food, dog teams, and animal carcasses—bringing them into greater conflict with Arctic people.
"Throughout the polar bear’s range, attacks on humans and property continue to rise. In recent years, more than 20 direct attacks on humans have been reported within the polar bear’s range."
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here .
