A hunter who was carrying a deer was mauled after being confronted by at least three bears in Alaska on Tuesday, officials said. The victim's hunting partner fatally shot two of the bears on Sally Island, 35 miles west of Kodiak. Michael Snowden, 68, of Sitka, Alaska, was mauled by a brown bear cub and suffered severe injuries to his leg, according to the Alaska State Troopers. Companion Jeff Ostrin, 38, of Camas, Washington, shot and killed the animal, before opening fire on another bear that appeared while they were waiting for help.

In a statement, the U.S. Coast Guard said it received a call for help from the captain of a fishing vessel which had dropped Snowden and Ostrin at Sally Island and was awaiting their return. A Sikorsky HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter picked up Snowden and transferred him to Kodiak Island Medical Center. State troopers the pair had been attacked by a sloth of bears comprised of a sow and two large cubs. However, a statement issued by the U.S. Coast Guard said it was a sloth of five bears and listed Snowden’s age as 65.

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- Alexander Smith