A woman encountered an unexpected visitor as she exited an Alaska hospital late at night: a black bear with an apparent fondness for Halloween candy. Shocked to find herself alone in a dimly lit hallway with a bear, the woman had limited options for escaping because most of the doors in the hall required a keycard to open.
Here's what to know
The shocking, internet-ready situation took place at a hospital on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, KTUU reported.
The bear appeared inside the hospital near the emergency department at around 2 a.m. and stopped when it came across a bucket of donated Halloween candy.
According to KTUU, Sherri Warnke had been at the base hospital helping her mother get settled after a transfer there. As she headed toward an exit through the emergency department, she saw the bear come out of a side corridor roughly 30 feet away from her.
Warnke explained that the nearest exit was about 60 yards behind her and that the doors along the hallway could be opened only with a badge. Reflecting on the incident, Warnke realized how close the timing had been.
"And if I was like 15 seconds faster, we would have ran into each other," Warnke said, per KTUU.
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After seeing the bear, she backed away as quietly as she could, hoping the bear had not seen her in the dark corridor.
An intercom announcement soon warned that a bear was inside the building. After that, several doctors came into the hallway to photograph the bear.
According to Warnke, hospital staff later led her out safely through a back route.
Saved by Halloween candy
Warnke credits the bucket of donated Halloween candy at least in part with giving her the opportunity to safely exit the building.
"I was like, candy, donation, he's going to be there for a while, he's not going to give up that candy, that's for sure," Warnke said, per KTUU.
Having been born and raised in Alaska, Warnke had spent plenty of time in the mountains as a runner, so she was not unfamiliar with wildlife, including bears. Even so, she emphasized that "this is not a small bear" and described it as a "pretty big black bear" that looked "fat and ready for hibernation," as quoted by KTUU.
What's being done?
When she returned to the hospital to visit her mother, Warnke was told that a door leading into the main part of the hospital had been shut because of the incident. An emergency department staffer showed her a still image of the bear standing at the same front desk where visitors typically check in.
According to Warnke, staff told her the bear eventually left through the same route it had used to enter.
The encounter raised questions about entry points, interior access barriers, and food left where wildlife can smell and access it, particularly at facilities located in bear country.
For Warnke, one of the most unsettling parts of the experience was the badge-access system. Being familiar with card-driven access, she knew that there would be a slight pause between the card being read and the door being unlocked.
"And that delay can be a death sentence to you if a bear is really mad at you," she said, per KTUU.
Even for someone used to encountering wildlife in Alaska, the location made the experience especially jarring.
"And it's not my first encounter with a bear. But it's definitely a little bit of a surprise in a hospital," Warnke said, according to KTUU.
Where can I learn more?
These stories showed how quickly bear encounters have turned dangerous when bears have entered places that people assumed were safe.
• At Lake Tahoe, an elderly couple was hospitalized after a bear entered their home unexpectedly.
• In Yellowstone, a ranger stepped in during a close call with tourists and a black bear.
• In Tennessee, tourists learned too late why you should always lock your doors around food-seeking black bears.
• On a Tennessee wildlife excursion, riders faced a bear on the track and feared for their safety.
• In Japan, a tourist attacked near a bus stop reached a tourist office for help.
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