The United States has explained in a statement that Sergeant Seth Michael Plant, 30, had been pronounced dead after being identified on Thursday. the soldier was attacked by a bear at a military training area in Alaska and died of his injuries.
Plant was from Saint Augustine, Florida, and had been at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson since July 2021, the Army said in the statement. He was an infantryman with the 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game said a den with two grizzly bear cubs was found nearby. After the attack, a grizzly bear approached the area and responding officials used bear spray to try to deter it. The bear left after that.
The bear attacked in a remote section of the military base, the department said. Cyndi Wardlow, regional supervisor for the department, said information gathered so far suggests it was a “defensive attack by a female bear protecting her cubs from her.” “We are trying to investigate as much as we can about what happened to increase public safety around wildlife in Alaska,” she said in the statement.
Plant’s body was taken to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage after Tuesday’s attack. Another soldier received minor injuries in the attack at a training area west of the Anchorage landfill, according to the Army.
Lt. Col. David J. Nelson, commander of the 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, said Plant “always had a smile on his face, always went above and beyond what was asked of him, and was an inspiration to everyone who They had the privilege of meeting him.”
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