'World's largest bear' shot in Alaska

A US airman is believed to have killed the world's largest bear.

Ted Heuvelmans says he shot the 1,800lb Alaskan Brown bear from 35 yards away, in self defence.

The bear, which was 14ft tall, tried to attack him during a hunting trip on Hitchenbrook Island, near the Elmendorf Air Force Base in the Gulf of Alaska, south of Valdez.

It's twice the size of a normal brown bear, which is the largest of the bears, and experts say it could be the world's biggest.

Alaska has the highest concentration of brown bears in the world.

William Golding, Professor of National History at Toronto University, told the Yukon Courier that the bear's size suggests that it suffered from a growth disorder, such as acromegaly.

Mr Heuvelmans, an airman at Elemdorf airport, said: "She kind of snuck up on me. I was really taken by surprise. She stood up on her hind legs and prepared to charge.

"I was pretty scared, let me tell you! I emptied the chamber into her chest. It took four shots to bring her down. She was huge! If I hadn't gotten her first, I definitely would've been a gonner!"

The Yukon Courier says representatives from The Smithsonian Institution and the Guinness Book of Records will be visiting Alaska next week to verify the record capture.