An Alaska state trooper says the Mililani woman who was attacked by a brown bear in Alaska on Sunday did the best thing possible in the worst kind of situation.

She curled into a ball as the bear attacked.

The submissive behavior may have saved her life, particularly because the woman — 57-year-old Ann Scheller — had somehow gotten between the mother and her cubs. That, and when bears are approached while feeding, are said to be when bears feel the most threatened and pose the biggest threats.

"The bear was thinking she's protecting her cubs," said Alaska State Troopers spokesman Greg Wilkinson. "And the bear attacked."

Scheller suffered head, neck and leg injuries while hiking at Berg Bay, about 20 miles east of Wrangell in southeast Alaska. She was flown to Seattle and has been recovering at Harborview Medical Center.

Scheller, sounding tired, declined to comment yesterday.

According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Scheller was separated from two other hikers on a trail when she got between a sow and her cubs.

The bear charged, mauled Scheller in the back of her head and legs and then left.

"She did the right thing," Wilkinson said of Scheller's response. "She curled up in a little ball."

Scheller was picked up by Wrangell Search and Rescue and flown to Ketchikan hospital in Alaska, then to Seattle.

"She seemed to be doing OK, just in shock," said Wilkinson. "She was sitting up and talking to people."

Wilkinson said there are typically less than a dozen bear attacks in Alaska each year, and very rarely is anyone killed.

Nancy Long, information officer for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, said brown bear attacks are "extremely rare."

She advises that if ever in a confrontation with a bear, "don't run. If there's a group, try to stay all together."

Long said bears usually try to avoid confrontation, but their behavior does vary.

Alaska has more than 98 percent of the U.S. population of brown bears, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Brown bears are heaviest during the late summer and fall, with males weighing between 500 and 900 pounds and females between 200 and 600 pounds. A brown bear standing on its hind feet is about 9 feet tall.

Reach Brittany Yap at byap@honoluluadvertiser.com.