Now, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has closed the area while it conducts searches for the bear, and officials are advising everyone in the vicinity to brush up on their bear safety and carry bear spray, despite the rarity of bear attacks in the Chugach mountains.

A hiker near Anchorage, Alaska was able to survive a mauling from a brown bear this week. The woman, who has yet to be identified, said that "they were mauled by a bear and needed help as soon as possible," according to the Anchorage Fire Department.

According to the Anchorage Police Department, the victim is a 67-year-old woman who is in stable condition after she was rescued with a helicopter Tuesday and brought to a hospital. “She sustained injuries to her head, neck and arm,” APD spokesman Christopher Barraza wrote in an email Wednesday.