Image: alaska_brown_bear_attack

An Alaskan brown bear attacked and injured two soldiers during a land navigation training exercise near Anchorage. (Photo by JirkaVo)

Two soldiers are recovering from injuries sustained during a brown bear attack that occurred during a training session in Alaska.

The soldiers, from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, were participating in a land navigation training exercise when the attack occurred.

A news statement provided to CBS News from the 11th Airborne Division said, "For privacy reasons, we are not releasing names or specific details about their conditions until next of kin has been notified."

The two soldiers have been treated for serious injuries and have been released from the hospital, according to ftwusatoday.com.

According to the statement, both soldiers carried and deployed bear spray.

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The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) said it was likely a defensive attack from a bear leaving its den after hibernating during the winter. Officials were unable to locate the bear after the attack.

"We hope both individuals have a full and quick recovery, and our thoughts are with them during this time. ADFG will continue investigating the circumstances that led to the attack and try to learn everything we can about what happened to increase public safety around wildlife in Alaska," Regional Supervisor Cyndi Wardlow said in a statement. "In this case, having bear spray with them in the field may have saved their lives."

Other soldiers have been attacked by bears at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. In May 2022, Staff Sgt. Seth Michael Plant, 30, was attacked and killed by a bear west of the Anchorage Regional Landfill, according to the base.

According to ADFG, there are about 100,000 black bears and 30,000 brown bears in Alaska, so encounters and even attacks are not uncommon.

From 2000 to 2017, 68 people were hospitalized following bear attacks in the state, according to a study by Alaska's Section of Epidemiology. The study states that approximately 96% of the attacks are by brown bears. Eight separate attacks over that time period resulted in 10 fatalities.