Michigan Man Mauled By Grizzly Bear, Survives

A Michigan man was mauled by a grizzly bear Tuesday (September 6) while hunting in Alaska, according to the Detroit News.

33-year-old Nicholas Kuperus was hunting with a group of people near the East Fork Indian River in Alaska when he "surprised" a sow grizzly bear and her three cubs, according to Alaska Wildlife Troopers. The bear attacked Kuperus about 60 miles north of Glennallen in the upper East Fork Indian River. The animal left him with serious puncture wounds on his arms. Luckily, he was carrying bear spray and was able to deter the bear by spraying it.

Alaska Wildlife Troopers received a report of the bear mauling Kuperus and talked to the man via a satellite communication device. He was later picked up by an aircraft and transported to an ambulance in Glennallen. His condition is currently unknown at the time of this writing.

Most bear attacks occur because the bear feels protective or threatened, according to petkeen.com. One of the few places in the country that has all three species of North American Bears living in it, Alaska accounts for 29.6 percent of all fatal bear attacks in the United States. That makes Alaska the U.S. state with the most bear attacks.