Fish and Game urges people to become bear aware

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The Alaska Department of Fish and Game removed two moose carcasses in Anchorage last week in an effort to fend off bears.

According to Biologist Dave Battle, one was a dead calf on the University of Alaska Anchorage’s campus which a black bear was guarding. Battle said the bear took off pretty quickly once the calf was removed.

On Friday, workers removed a dead adult moose from near the entrance to the Beach Trail in Kincaid Park. Battle said that moose was likely killed by a brown bear, although no one has reported seeing the bear.

Battle said it’s important to take precautions — particularly for those hiking or walking in the woods — because bears are awake now.

“We urge people to travel in groups, to carry your deterrents, know how to use them, know your basic bear safety principles — number one is never run from a bear,” Battle said.

Around the home, make sure garbage is secure and put out on the appropriate day. According to Battle, bird feeders can also attract some much bigger dinner guests.

“Bird feeders are bear feeders this time of year,” Battle said. “It’s fine to feed birds through the winter but we don’t want people feeding birds through the summer. The birds really don’t need the help and it draws bears into neighborhoods.”

Battle said people who don’t follow those rules are subject to fines of several hundred dollars. He said residents should call Fish and Game when they see a bear in the Anchorage Bowl.

“We want to know any time someone sees a brown bear in town, even if it’s not doing anything — we like to keep track of where brown bears are,” he said. “Black bears, it’s more if they are engaging in conflict behavior, if they’re getting into trash or birdfeeders, or if they seem unusually aggressive or anything like that.”

It’s also important to make noise and travel in groups of three or more — but stay together and try not to walk in a line. Battle wants to remind people that it’s not just bears to be worried about this time of year — cow moose who are defending their newborn calves can be very dangerous as well.

“When the calves are newborn and are not strong enough and fast enough to escape from predators, the cow’s strategy is to stand her ground and grind anybody into the dust who comes near her calf,” Battle said. “So absolutely give moose a very wide berth — much more than you need to than at any other time of the year.”

Moose births generally peak in late May, but calving moose may be more aggressive through early July.

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