VIDEO: An Alaskan man who survived a horrific bear mauling 14 years ago has found a calling helping others who have suffered the same fate. Wes Perkins, a former fire chief in Nome, was permanently disfigured from a bear attack in 2011, but since then has used his experience to reach out and provide guidance for others. The most recent victim in Alaska was a 36-year-old woman in Kenai who was seriously injured Aug. 26 when she went for a jog near her home in a neighborhood near the Pillars Boat Launch on the Kenai River. Wildlife officials said the woman โ later identified as Ariean Fabrizio Colton โ suffered substantial wounds to her face and scalp but was conscious and able to talk, despite being in shock.
She was medevacked to an Anchorage hospital for treatment. Another bear mauling earlier in the summer on the Anchorage hillside left a 67-year-old woman hospitalized with injuries after a bear dragged her off the trail on which she was hiking alone. Perkins said every time he hears another survival story, he attempts to reach out to the victim to offer help based on his own experience. The story of what happened to Perkins begins May 15, 2011, when he was hunting with two โdearโ friends, as he puts it. The trio was pursuing a bear when the attack occurred.
