Denali bear sightings lead to more closures by officials

Not so fast.

Denali National Park and Preserve officials Wednesday put the brakes on their planned reopening of Savage River-area trails where a young grizzly bear obtained human food and attacked a hiker.

The Mountain Vista and Savage River Loop Trails, which were scheduled to reopen Thursday, will remain closed another week because at least one bear has been seen in the area. Sanctuary Campground will close for about five days.

Bear sighting reports are vague and no one is sure whether the bear sighted is the same bear whose behavior prompted the closures, Denali biologist Patricia Owen said in a press release. Nonetheless, Owen said, park officials have chosen to err on the side of caution.

"Until we have reasonable confirmation that it is, or is not, the bear in question, we must be prudent," Owen said. "No one who can make a positive identification of this bear has seen it.

"It's a very popular area, and those are great hiking trails, so it does affect many visitors, unfortunately," she added by email. "But better safe than sorry."

Two campers at Sanctuary Campground reported wildlife activity near their camp Tuesday night and, according to Owen, a water bottle and water bladder were damaged by "what could have been a bear."

The initial Savage River area closure came after a grizzly obtained food from a backpack June 22 after charging a group of visitors and vehicles along the road. Trying to distract the bear, one member of the group tossed a backpack and the bear gobbled up the food inside.

During that five-day closure, park wildlife staff fired non-lethal bean-bag rounds, hoping the bear was young and impressionable enough to become wary of people.

When the bear had not been seen for five days, park officials reopened the area.

The second closure came after the bear bit and scratched a hiker along the Savage Alpine Trail on July 1. Since then, park staff have tried to find the bear, without success.

Other openings remain in effect. They include.

— Denali Park Road is open to private vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily.

— Primrose area remains open to park tour buses and ranger-led programs.

— Savage Cabin Trail remains open to hikers.

— Savage River Campground is open to hard-sided vehicles.

— Mountain Visa picnic area is open 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily even though Mountain Vista trails are closed.

Unclear Wednesday is whether officials intend to close Savage River facilities every time a grizzly is sighted.

"Yes, the Savage River area is grizzly bear habitat," Owen said. "However, it does need to be closed when a bear ceases to act like a bear. In this case, he was rewarded with human food and learned to associate humans with food. Bears are quick learners, especially when it comes to food, and, unfortunately, it was we humans who taught it that backpacks can be sources for easy candy bars. Once they learn that humans are bipedal vending machines, it's not good."

By contrast, she noted that a bear who bit a visitor in late June "was a sow with cubs and she acted as such. She charged the hiker after he startled one of her cubs; he stood up to her until he was sure she was going to tackle him, then he fell to the ground and curled up into the fetal position. She bit him on the calf and then moved on. Once she learned he was not a threat to her cubs, she left him alone, and despite the fact that he had food in his pack, she had no interest in his pack. She just acted like a bear, so there was no reason to close that area."