Bears in Alaska

Bears on moose kill prompt closure of Turnagain wayside

A sow brown bear and cub at a moose kill near the McHugh Wayside off the Seward Highway have prompted Chugach State Park managers to close the area. Trails in the area remain open.

Troublesome Turnagain Arm bear killed by Fish and Game

A 2-year-old female brown bear that had become dangerously comfortable around humans along the Turnagain Arm Trail was killed Tuesday by an Alaska Department of Fish and Game officer.

People get too close to Turnagain bear

Eagle River bear-mauling survivor surprised to be alive

When a brown bear charged him Saturday from about 30 yards away while he was on his property bordering Chugach State Park, Howard Meyer had one thing on his mind: "I thought that it was the end of my life."

More bear attack stories

Denali bear missing half of leg seems healthy

A three-pawed grizzly bear -- nicknamed "Tripawed" -- that turned up in Denali National Park last summer with a bloody stump for a right front leg is back, just in time for the start of the tourist season.

Reader photos: Bear sightings

Post your 2012 bear-sighting photos

Fairbanks hunter recalls weekend mauling in Kodiak

One minute, Rodd Moretz was high-fiving his 13-year-old son, Caleb, after shooting the biggest brown bear of his life. The next minute, he was tumbling down the hillside with another giant brown bear, wondering if he was going to die and how things could have gone from so good to so bad so quickly.

Read more about bear attacks in Alaska

Hunter kills one bear, tussles with another on Kodiak Island

A brown bear "pounced" on a hunter Saturday on Kodiak Island after he killed another bear nearby, troopers say. Rodd A. Moretz of Fairbanks suffered only minor scalp injuries.

More stories on Alaska bear attacks

It's time to raise your bear awareness

Although the heavy winter snow may have them wanting to hit the snooze button, it won't be long before local bears begin to rise and shine for the spring. That means now is the time to begin making preparations to avoid dangerous encounters with Alaska's most notorious forest dwellers.

Polar bears not descended from brown bears, scientists say

A research team that looked at DNA samples from brown, polar and black bears says the brown bear and polar bear ancestral lines have a common ancestor and split about 600,000 years ago.

Orphaned Kodiak brown bear escapes Portage wildlife center

Shaguyik, a 2-year-old, 300-pound brown bear, escaped the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center in Portage on Tuesday and has been missing since.

Fur loss, lesions reported in Beaufort Sea polar bears

Nine polar bears have been observed with alopecia -- loss of fur -- and other skin lesions in the southern Beaufort Sea region near Barrow, say federal biologists. The scientists have been collecting blood and tissue samples but do not yet know the cause or the significance of the outbreak.

Deaths of Alaska ringed seals trigger federal investigation

Kodiak prepares for emergence of bears from winter dens

With spring here and bears about to emerge from their dens on Kodiak Island, state biologist Larry Van Daele said it is time for homeowners to get busy and look for things that might attract bears to their property.

Orphaned Anchorage bear cubs debut in Detroit

Three orphaned grizzly bear cubs that came to the Detroit Zoo from Anchorage in December have made their public debut after spending winter in a zoo den. They explored their new habitat, including having a dip in the 6-foot-deep pool, and did a little roughhousing.

Catching orphaned bears no easy task

Photos: Three Alaska bear cubs

Shooting of grizzlies at bait stations gets OK

In 4-3 vote, the Alaska Board of Game has approved the shooting of grizzly bears by hunters at bait stations intended only for black bears. The change applies only to three game units in Interior Alaska.

Gun is no insurance policy in bear attack, study indicates

An analysis of 269 incidents of close-quarter bear-human conflict in Alaska between 1883 and 2009 in which a firearm was involved showed the gun made no statistical difference in the outcome of the encounters, which resulted in 151 human injuries and 172 bear fatalities.

Study: Guns offer no statistical advantage in bear encounters

A Brigham Young University biologist who analyzed 269 accounts of bear-human conflict in Alaska from 1883 to 2009 says the presence of a gun made no statistical difference in the outcome of encounters.

Aerial bear control OK'd in Kuskokwim River region

The Alaska Board of Game has approved a plan for state wildlife biologists to shoot black and grizzly bears from helicopters in the middle Kuskokwim River region starting next spring. The goal is to increase the moose population for local hunters.

Photo: Alaska bear uses barnacles as a scrub brush

The sighting is being called "the first report of tool-using behavior in a wild brown bear" by a British researcher.

Game Board OKs bear kill in Western Alaska to boost moose

Wildlife officials will kill grizzly and black bears in a 540-square mile region of Western Alaska so that more moose can survive and be hunted by village residents.

Group opposing bear snaring brings fight to Game Board

An Alaska conservation group announced Wednesday that it has lined up opposition to an expansion of snaring of black bears and grizzly bears so more moose will survive.

State OKs group's plan to drug, relocate roadside moose

Video, photos show bear frightening tourists in Katmai Park

A group of 10 tourists visiting Katmai National Park in Southwest Alaska got what was likely the fright of their lives when a brown bear bluff-charged them as they were sitting in camp chairs along a salmon stream.

Bear forgoes winter sleep, pays visits to trash bins

A bear is forgoing its winter nap at the east end of Kodiak City, leaving numerous tracks in the snow.

Insomniac bear visits Kodiak

A bear is forgoing its winter nap at the east end of Kodiak, leaving numerous tracks in the snow.

Game Board modifies rules for setting up bear bait stations

Black bear hunters throughout Alaska will be required to attend a clinic or pass an online test if they want to set up a bait station.

Game Board expands aerial shooting of bears

In a new package of policies criticized even by some hunters, the Alaska Board of Game on Tuesday opened the door to aerial gunning of bears by state wildlife officials. It also debated a measure that would allow more widespread snaring of bears -- including grizzlies, which are officially considered threatened across most of the U.S.

Game Board delays decision on expansion of bear snaring

The Alaska Board of Game has delayed a proposal that would have expanded the use of snares to kill grizzly and black bears.

Game Board expands aerial shooting of bears

Collar-cam videos provide grizzly bear's view of Alaska

Grizzly boar 6041 had a busy day on May 26. The 700-pound, 10-year-old Alaska bear woke up at 3:17 a.m. as the sun peeked out beneath gray skies. Within 15 minutes, he was attempting to impregnate a willing sow. Then it was off to eat fish.

Alaskans testify on killing bears with snares

Former Gov. Tony Knowles stepped before the seven-member Alaska Board of Game on Friday to urge an immediate end to the snaring of bears, including grizzlies, as a management tool to boost moose populations.

Fish and Game proposes aerial shooting of bears near Bethel

The Board of Game this weekend will debate what would be the first-ever Alaska aerial predator control program targeting bears.

Anchorage bear cubs at Detroit-area zoo

Three grizzly cubs orphaned when their mother was shot dead on the Anchorage Hillside have arrived at their new home at the Detroit Zoo.