Story of the Day: Woman Is Nibbled by a Bear While Visiting the Toilet

An Alaskan woman was pecked by a bear from her behind as she attempted to do her business in a Chilkat Lake outhouse.

During a visit to her brother's Chilkat Lake property, Shannon decided to use the nearby outhouse, an outbuilding with a toilet, one evening. The bathroom was a stand-alone cubicle with no plumbing somewhere in the open.

She went on with her business usually and immediately sat down. It was then that she was caught off guard as she found herself slightly bitten. Her brother Erik heard his sister screaming that she had been bitten but brushed off the alarm, thinking it was merely a small animal.

As she yelled that she was bleeding, Erik quickly grabbed his lamp to check on the situation. The Alaskan native had claimed to have been bitten on her behind while inside the toilet.

With her pants still down, Erik witnessed a single puncture on his sibling's buttock as the bear slightly bit Shannon's behind. She pointed her brother to the hole in the outhouse to see what had happened.

As he checked what was underneath the lid, the man was surprised to find an actual bear with a face enough to fit the small enclosure. Both of them immediately ran away from the outhouse at the sight of a wild animal.

The siblings found it quite odd to find a bear out in the cold winter season. Shannon remembered that during summer or fall visits, it was normal for her to see such animals around, and even shout it out loud when she would see a bear. She said:

"It was the dead of winter, so I didn't think to do that this time."

However, after checking out the outhouse the very next day, the pair found tracks from the area where they had prepared dinner all the way to the outhouse. It was undoubtedly a bear's footprints.

The siblings brought photos of the tracks for further investigation, and wildlife biologist of the Department of Fish and Game, Carl Koch, confirmed the bear's presence. At first, the expert found the occurrence to be odd yet validated once he saw actual proof of the animal's tracks.

He was taken to East Idaho Regional Medical Center shortly after but did not survive.

"I have heard stories of people having scares near outhouses in the spring and summer when bears are normally out, but never in winter and definitely not from underneath while sitting down," said the wildlife professional.

Koch noted that it had been the second reported incident, stating that people should be advised to remain aware of their surroundings despite the expected odds of an encounter during the cold season.

Koch was undoubtedly not reluctant to provide professional explanations regarding bears lurking in the cold. For one, the wildlife expert highlighted the scarcity of salmon and berry crops in the past year as a reason for hunting.

Another explanation identified was the possible lack of fat put up by the bear before the cold season, resulting in earlier efforts to leave their den. There have been several bear attacks in the past that resulted in physical injury and even death.

The moral is - always carefully inspect the place where you sit!

Last month, a Yellowstone National park guide named Charles W. Mock IV was attacked by a grizzly bear while outdoors. He was taken to East Idaho Regional Medical Center shortly after but did not survive.

On April 17, 2021, Mock passed away from injuries sustained during the incident. The deceased was fishing along the Madison River when the bear attacked. The wild animal was assumed to be protecting the remains of a moose.