A polar bear that killed a young mother and her baby in western Alaska was likely an older animal in poor physical condition. However, officials have confirmed that tests have come back negative for pathogens that affect the brain and cause aggressive behaviour.
Dr Kimberlee Beckmen, a state wildlife veterinarian, collected and examined samples from the bear’s head the day after the attack, when weather conditions allowed her and an Alaska State Trooper to fly to the village. The results of her analysis indicate the bear was an adult male, probably older and in poor physical health.
Officials sent a tooth to a lab to determine the bear’s age, but those results will not be known for months. Standard tests conducted on available tissues for pathogens were negative for rabies, toxoplasmosis, distemper and bird flu.
