An Alaskan woman was mauled by an adult brown bear on Tuesday while out jogging with a co-worker.
Gabrielle Markel, 20, and Kaitlin Haley, 26, were running on a trail along Skilak Lake, 50 miles south of Anchorage, when the grizzly bear suddenly came out of a nearby bush and proceeded to maul Markel, knocking her to the ground, police said, according to NBC News.
While the bear was still on top of Markel, Haley ran back to Alaska Wildland Adventures lodge, where both of them work, to call for help.
Haley and several other employees equipped with bear spray rushed to Markel's aid, but the attack was already over by then, according to Canada Journal. They encountered Markel walking back after the attack, prompting the group to transport Markel across a nearby lake on a boat to meet with emergency officials.
"She didn't appear to have life-threatening injuries at the time but they can turn life threatening," Police spokeswoman Megan Peters said. "It's always important to get them to the hospital as soon as possible."
Markel was airlifted to Providence Hospital in Anchorage to be treated for her injuries, and she was upgraded to "good condition" Wednesday afternoon.
It's unclear how Markel managed to get away from the bear. She allegedly used bear spray in an attempt to repel the bear, but it didn't help, according to Fox News.
The reason for the woman getting mauled in the first place has also not been determined.
"Most of the attacks are surprise encounters, on both ends," said Jeff Selinger, Kenai area wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. "Or the sow (female bear) has cubs."
"We don't know if someone else was up on the trail beforehand and provoked it. Sometimes they aren't clear." Selinger concluded.
