An overdue hunter in Alaska was found dead Wednesday after an apparent bear attack, state police said.
Alaska State Troopers were called shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday after Tad Fujioka, 50, of Sitka, failed to return from a deer hunting trip, the law enforcement agency said.
A search was launched, and his remains were found at around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, state troopers said in a daily report of incidents.
“Investigation revealed he was the likely victim of a fatal bear mauling,” they said in the report.
Sitka is a city and borough of about 8,400 people in the Alaska panhandle, southwest of Juneau.
The type of bear suspected in the attack was not specified. Alaska has black bears, brown bears — which include grizzlies — and polar bears.
There are around 100,000 black bears and around 30,000 brown bears in Alaska, the state Department of Fish and Game says on its website. There are far fewer polar bears, which the state considers threatened, and they range far to the north of Sitka.