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20-Year-Old Woman Attacked by Grizzly in Alaska, Plays Dead, and Lives!

Seattle Woman Dragged 20 Feet in Bear Attack But Survived With Minor Injuries

Julia Stafford recovers in Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. Here she's holding a bear stuffed animal. (Image via KTUU)

Over the weekend, TheBlaze brought you the story of a Calif. man who was killed in his encounter with a bear in Denali National Park. Now, a second person has been attacked in Alaska, though this story has a better outcome for a Seattle woman whose quick thinking saved her life.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports Julia Stafford, 20, was working for a Canadian mining company on the Denali Highway near Tangle Lakes on Sunday when a bear with two cubs was spotted. She and a colleague were collecting rock samples when they saw the bear and her brood and immediately began walking away from the animal.

The geological engineering student at the University of British Columbia recounted the events to the News-Miner from Fairbanks Memorial Hospital where she was recovering from wounds:

“We started walking uphill to get away from it and it started walking toward us,” she said. “We stopped once we saw it was following us and tried to get the bear spray out but by then it was already running toward us.”

Stafford had the can of bear spray on her pack, which she was holding in her hands, when the bear charged. She didn’t have time to get it out before the bear crashed into them, she said.

“I was wearing gloves and they were wet and it was confusing,” Stafford said. “There was just not enough time to get the bear spray out.”

Both Stafford and her colleague played dead when the bear knocked them on the ground. Stafford was bitten and dragged by the bear. She told the News-Miner she thinks she screamed but it happened so quickly she can’t recall. After being dragged 20 feet, the bear let her go and ran away. At this point, Stafford’s colleague wrapped her bleeding wounds and the two called for a helicopter, which came within 20 minutes.

Considering the most recent bear attack that killed 49-year-old Richard White from San Diego, Stafford’s wounds are minor. The News-Minor reports she required stitches and will have surgery on her broken hand.

KTUU-TV out of Alaska reports David Battle, a wildlife official with Alaska Fish & Game, saying bears are currently foraging for food as they prepare for hibernation. He recommends traveling in groups, making noise, and, if attacked, to lay on one’s stomach, protecting your head and neck.

“If you have a pack, sometimes the bear will be tearing away at the pack,” Battle told KTUU.

Watch this report via King 5:

(H/T: Daily Mail)

Comments (57)

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  • shakedowncrews
    Posted on August 29, 2012 at 3:54pm

    Here’s how to handle an aggressive bear: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/08/29/montana-rancher-shoots-black-bear-that-broke-into-home/?test=latestnews

    Report Post » shakedowncrews  
  • Larry E
    Posted on August 29, 2012 at 3:50pm

    Bear spray should be carried where you can get at it, the bear isn‘t going to issue a notice that says I’ll attack at such and such a time. At least she did what everyone is told to do in case of a bear attack, assume the fetal position with hands covering the back of the neck and lie still. Momma bears can be over protective, and I hope that this one wasn’t killed like the one who killed the guy in Denali. Why should the bear have paid for the man’s stupidity?

    Report Post »  
    • K Chad Roberts
      Posted on August 30, 2012 at 1:52pm

      For a Grizzly Bear yes. You do something different for each type of bear. For example, you’re supposed to fight back against Black Bears: When seen, stand up tall, raise your arms and talk loudly to it… if it charges, stand your ground. 9 times out of 10 the black bear will back down and go away. If it attacks, punch its noes and face. Black Bears don’t like prey that fights back. If it’s a mother, you’d better have a gun, cuz they will kill you anyways.

      Report Post »  
  • Chinishque
    Posted on August 29, 2012 at 2:53pm

    Up here in Alaska we always have to be prepared and I have been out salmon fishing only to look behind me to see three brown bears waiting to see if I caught anything so they could take it…they are sneaky! But I have to admit that I am far more leery of Moose than I am bears. There are far more moose attacks than there are bear attacks and a moose will just keep kicking till you are dead. I got charged by a big bull a couple of weeks ago right here in Anchorage…scared the crap out of me!

    Report Post »  
  • OldVet
    Posted on August 29, 2012 at 2:02pm

    Alaskan Brown bears are not grizzlies although they are similar if not larger in size. While living on Kodiak, most people said my 357 mag was too small. The caliber of choice was 44 mag. A 45 long colt would be fairly effective but a 45 auto round would not be enough for a brown bear in my opinion. As to Brown bears not being interested in humans. That is not true. Humans are food and if hungry they are definitely interested. In this case, she was more interested in driving the girls away from her cubs than eating them, so she must have been well fed.

    Report Post » OldVet  
    • KevINtampa
      Posted on August 29, 2012 at 2:21pm

      Someone once told me the 5.7×28 round was good as bear defense because of it’s velocity and the way it uses that inertia as it rolls end over end when it hits soft tissue. I‘m sure there’s physics to the narrow round that might make this make sense, but I’d still go with the proven 44 mag in bear territory. Just seems to make more sense to have more lead with out having to have so much faith in science!

      That said, I’ve seen what a .45 cal round does to a watermelon and what the 5.7×28 mm round does. The .45 leaves a giant hole in the back of the melon, the 5.7 leaves an empty target stand. Not quite sure how it essentially makes the melon explode, some whacky ballistics I guess.

      Report Post »  
    • DRT_7.62_BTHP
      Posted on August 29, 2012 at 3:15pm

      It’s the same bear. And a suggestion from an Alaskan is carry a shotgun with slugs. With bears you have to break bones or destroy the brain. Anything short of that won’t stop them. The high vel. narrow rounds will bounce off of their bones especially their skull, it’s to sloped and thick.

      Report Post » DRT_7.62_BTHP  
  • Verceofreason
    Posted on August 29, 2012 at 12:38pm

    Her husband says she’s been playing dead for years.

    Report Post » Verceofreason  
  • Cruelnunusual
    Posted on August 29, 2012 at 11:59am

    Bear spray?! I would suggest letting your fear of bears overcome your fear of a .44 magnum.

    Report Post » Cruelnunusual  
    • floridareader
      Posted on August 29, 2012 at 12:46pm

      Why? People get into bear territory and mamma bear feels that she must protect her cubs. The girl did well playing death.

      Report Post » floridareader  
    • KevINtampa
      Posted on August 29, 2012 at 2:28pm

      Always carry a gun in bear territory.

      Too many stories of bears ignoring the spray, also if you try to spray up wind you can very quickly find yourself in a spay cloud. If you do carry spray, try hiking 20 miles back to camp after dousing yourself in bear spray. Good luck. You won’t be able to see or breathe for hours.

      Also, playing dead only works if the bear is full. If it is at all hungry, playing dead is its own death sentence.

      Report Post »  
    • DRT_7.62_BTHP
      Posted on August 29, 2012 at 5:38pm

      Most grizzlies attack you cuz they feel you’re a threat to their offspring, territory, food, etc. so all they do is remove the threat. Educated outdoorsmen know that playing dead will in most cases save you in a griz attack. That is not the case in a black bear attack.

      Report Post » DRT_7.62_BTHP  
  • Detroit paperboy
    Posted on August 29, 2012 at 11:41am

    The thought of your entire life culminating in the fact that you will soon become bear poop, must be terrifying ………

    Report Post »  
  • Akridgerunner
    Posted on August 29, 2012 at 11:17am

    Bear spray buried in the pack? What a good idea. How’d that work out for you Julia?? Bear spray would likely not have been of any help at all in that situation. I emptied an entire can into the face of an aggressive bear once and it didn’t even blink an eye…. then charged, which was his final mistake in life. If you can shoo a bear off with spray you can likely chase it off with a stick. A sow with cubs? No way. That’s where Mr. Winchester is about the only help, unfortunately, despite what all the Park Service and BLM and other purported ‘experts’ say. 35 yrs working as a geologist in the Alaskan wilderness has taught me this.

    Report Post »  
    • badswing
      Posted on August 29, 2012 at 11:41am

      will my .45 be enough?

      Report Post » badswing  
    • onirot
      Posted on August 29, 2012 at 11:57am

      Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan chambered in .45LC /454 Casull. Dead bear no trip to the hospital, no spicy seasoning for defense.

      Report Post » onirot  
  • hades3
    Posted on August 29, 2012 at 11:10am

    Surprise ! A bear in the woods. That’s where they s–t , so i’m told !

    Report Post »  
  • KyleD
    Posted on August 29, 2012 at 10:47am

    As I understand it you’re supposed to go downhill from a bear, not uphill. Bear’s hind legs are larger which makes going downhill much more difficult than uphill.

    Report Post »  
    • Fried Okra
      Posted on August 29, 2012 at 11:13am

      Myth. Any bear can outrun any human in any direction.

      Report Post » Fried Okra  
    • badswing
      Posted on August 29, 2012 at 11:42am

      why reply if you dont really know. bears run up or down or sideways faster than we can run anyways!!!

      Report Post » badswing  
  • MOLLYPITCHER
    Posted on August 29, 2012 at 10:08am

    Bears come along very quickly. When my husband was 18, he was deer hunting with a muzzle loader. So of course he only had one shot when the bear came running at him (and no bear stamp on his license) he shot it, and ran. Thankfully, he hit it in the heart. Of course the game warden had to be called and told the situation. My husband was told to yell and wave his arms next time. I don’t think anyone in their right mind would take a chance like that if they have a gun.

    Report Post »  
  • BryanB
    Posted on August 29, 2012 at 10:04am

    At one time I had a Grizzly Bear Stalk me for about a week.

    And I taught that Bear a lesson. I didn’t use a Gun or Bear Spray.

    I went down and got me a Court Order for Protection. I got tired of the Harassing Phone Calls, being followed to work and the store.

    You should have seen the look on that Grizzly Bears face when he got Served with that Court Order, and he had to stay a 1000 feet away from me. I also had the satisfaction of embarrassing him in front of all the other Grizzly Bears…………..

    Report Post » BryanB  
    • Mahtoska
      Posted on August 29, 2012 at 10:13am

      That is FUNNY!

      Report Post »  
    • ACACIA
      Posted on August 29, 2012 at 4:04pm

      loved your tale this is what a liberal would do. it would work better if you had feed him a member of “peta” then he wouldn’t have followed you as much; only when he was hungry for another “peta” nutjob. keep up the good stories!!!!!!

      Report Post »  
  • Jim Morrison
    Posted on August 29, 2012 at 10:02am

    When we were fly fishing in Canada, we actually had a game warden tell us that bear spray doesn’t really work against grizzlies. When we asked him what would, he replied”fish with someone slower than you.”

    Report Post »  
  • dacorvi
    Posted on August 29, 2012 at 10:00am

    I once went fishing with a bear. She was very considerate and gave me plenty of room in the boat. Unfortunately, a group of drunk hunters came paddling by and started hurling insults at the bear. She took as much as she could before she reached out and knocked their boat over. The drunks were scrambling for their lives when suddenly another bear came swimming up to the confused scene. She began helping the drunks back into their boat. My bear felt bad about the whole thing and assisted the drunks as well. They didn’t insult the bears after that. They just paddled back to shore and walked onto the shore. As we were pulling away we glanced back at the group of hunters and were shocked to see a huge Grizzly break out of the forest onto the shore line and begin devouring the hapless hunters. It was over in minutes. Of course, we went back and got their boat since they would no longer need it, and their firearms as well. All in all, it was a pretty good day. One I’ll never forget.

    Report Post » dacorvi  
  • repairsea
    Posted on August 29, 2012 at 9:58am

    Bears are quick. I have encountered a few from the safety of my car in Oregon, California and Yellowstone. One face to face while hiking in Oregon that was feeding on a deer that warned me with grunts and charging me. The scariest was a mama grizzly bedding down with her cub while me and my 12 years old son were horseback riding in Montana with a trail guide. The grizzly and horses didn’t see each other and it was the last time I went horseback riding.

    Report Post »  
  • Jim Morrison
    Posted on August 29, 2012 at 9:58am

    Seems to me if she had been wearing the bear spray on her side, like a pistol, instead of buried in her pack she could have gotten to it quicker.

    Report Post »  
  • TRILO
    Posted on August 29, 2012 at 9:47am

    You can not outrun a bear. These girls were stupid for going out with only “bear spray”. At least they used their heads and played dead. The mother bear was doing what any wild animal will do… protect her young. When the threat was no longer there she retreated.

    Hopefully the idiot government will not track down the bear and destroy her for being a wild animal protecting her cubs.

    Report Post » TRILO  
  • KickinBack
    Posted on August 29, 2012 at 9:21am

    Bears don’t mean to kill people (unless they’re starving) they take out the threat. Best protection is what she did, play dead.

    It also goes to show that guns are useless against bears, (from a previous bear thread… mister “I’ll take my .357 with me”..Ha!..) as she had no time to produce the bear spray (And it is the best defense) because in the wilderness, especially upwind…you surprise them as much as they surprise you…And them suckers can RUN!

    Report Post » KickinBack  
    • booger71
      Posted on August 29, 2012 at 9:35am

      It also goes to show that guns are useless against bears, (from a previous bear thread… mister “I’ll take my .357 with me”..Ha!..) ”
      ===============
      They are useless when you don’t have one. HA!

      Report Post » booger71  
    • watersRpeople
      Posted on August 29, 2012 at 9:43am

      Most often bears do not have issues with hunters, and they even often share the same tree-stand.

      Report Post »  
    • KickinBack
      Posted on August 29, 2012 at 9:44am

      Booger…
      Miss with a gun, and you get mauled…Hit anything other than a headshot…you piss it off and still get mauled. Bears can sprint up to 30 mph, and encounters happen less than 30yds…(you are in the woods, remember!)…Bear spray or bust!

      Report Post » KickinBack  
    • watersRpeople
      Posted on August 29, 2012 at 9:48am

      The woods are made for hunters.

      Report Post »  
    • The Jewish Avenger
      Posted on August 29, 2012 at 9:49am

      Bear hunt at all?

      Report Post » The Jewish Avenger  
    • badswing
      Posted on August 29, 2012 at 1:51pm

      i hope when i am attacked that i have the wind going the correct way for the bear spray not to turn into human spray. cant think of anything worse than getting mauled by a bear while trying to get pepper spray out of my eyes.

      Report Post » badswing  
    • shakedowncrews
      Posted on August 29, 2012 at 2:33pm

      that’s ridiculous. Bears don’t attack people unless starving. I call ********. They rarely do, but “never” is stupid. My father was a doctor and coroner in grand county colorado and had multiple bear attacks to go to. In one case, a couple were camping and a woman had her period; the bear attacked the tent and killed the husband, but it did not appear it wanted to eat him. The wife (widow) chased the bear away with a skillet.
      So your arguments that 1) they never attack people is wrong, and 2) that there is no defense other than bear spray is also wrong. And 3) a 357 has enough stopping power for a small black bear, but with all guns and all targets, it’s about bullet placement.

      Report Post » shakedowncrews  
  • BlackCrow
    Posted on August 29, 2012 at 9:20am

    I lived outside Fairbanks for 20 years and used to hunt in the Tangle Lakes area. You step out the door and you are no longer at the top of the food chain. Anybody who leaves the Lodge there without a BIG firearm is foolhardy. I would not go into the National Parks because of their imbecilic no firearms rules.

    I hope this young lady recovers and I hope some manager in some office building somewhere in the lower 48 pulls his head out of his corporate rear end and starts requiring his employees to carry shotguns while in the Alaska bush country.

    Report Post » BlackCrow  
  • watersRpeople
    Posted on August 29, 2012 at 9:18am

    The irony is that my wife bought a shirt for me that says “I support the right to arm bears.”

    Report Post »  
    • KickinBack
      Posted on August 29, 2012 at 9:24am

      I don‘t know what’s more astonishing. That you have a wife, or that you cracked a joke. I’m amazed. Really.

      Report Post » KickinBack  
    • KickinBack
      Posted on August 29, 2012 at 9:29am

      Sorry about the wife crack…I shouldn’t go there with people, I’m just amazed that you said something that made sense!

      Report Post » KickinBack  
    • watersRpeople
      Posted on August 29, 2012 at 9:40am

      Yeah, anyways, my wife bought be a mug that says Mount Vesuvius on it also.

      Report Post »  
  • chips1
    Posted on August 29, 2012 at 9:18am

    I didn’t know Shiela Jackson Lee hibernates!!! It looks like it’s going to be a long, cold winter.

    Report Post »  
  • watersRpeople
    Posted on August 29, 2012 at 9:16am

    Bears aren’t liking people much lately – you might want to stay out of the woods.

    Report Post »  
  • BryanB
    Posted on August 29, 2012 at 9:13am

    Smart Lady……

    Fortunately for her it was a Grizzly Bear and not the Police. The Police would have shot her 49 times, to make sure she was dead……….

    Report Post » BryanB  
  • RightThinking1
    Posted on August 29, 2012 at 9:12am

    Probably a good idea to always have a spare set of underwear with you.

    Report Post »  
  • Nod
    Posted on August 29, 2012 at 9:10am

    One very lucky girl.

    Report Post »  
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