Wildlife

The State of Alaska is asking the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to allow the state to manage hunting methods on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, including allowing brown bear baiting.

Fish and Game officials had already warned that the wilderness areas by the campsite, near Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson and Chugach State Park, are heavily trafficked by bears.

Rivers and streams become “salmon tea” when carcasses of salmon enrich the waters.

Chemicals from fire retardants and other materials have accumulated in the bodies of seals, whales and other animals of the northern Bering Sea.

Volunteers at the Whittier Slug-Out learned about Alaska’s invasive species and helped mitigate European black slugs near a popular cove on Prince William Sound.

A pair of swans hatched at least eight cygnets this spring at Anchorage’s Potter Marsh.

The national park is starting a permit program for an off-trail area frequented by anglers, bear-viewing groups and photographers.

Some of the state’s bird rescue facilities are changing their policies amid what one called an explosion of cases.

The tiny saw-whet owl, found near Westchester Lagoon, was released in South Anchorage after two months with Bird Treatment and Learning Center.

Two King Salmon men and a New Mexico resident who left a platform to take photos near feeding brown bears at Brooks Falls pleaded guilty in the case.

Paul Gil, 41, paid a $1,500 fine to resolve ownership questions surrounding the AR-15 used to shoot the seal in 2017, federal prosecutors say.

Staff Sgt. Seth Michael Plant, 30, of St. Augustine, Florida, was stationed in Alaska less than a year. Wildlife authorities had not located the bear as of Thursday afternoon.

Next of kin have been contacted, but officials have not yet released many details on Tuesday’s fatal bear mauling in Anchorage.

Federal charges accuse Harvey Neil Anthony of killing two bears inside the park, where hunting is prohibited, and including the footage in his show.

The attack occurred near the Anchorage Regional Landfill, and wildlife troopers were searching for the bear.

Bird TLC receives hundreds of calls each summer about birds twisted up in fishing line, said its operations director.

“With this confirmed case, it’s clear that migrating birds have brought avian influenza to Alaska this spring,” said Dr. Robert Gerlach, the state veterinarian.

This year’s strain of avian flu, which has led to the deaths of millions of birds across the country, is affecting both backyard and wild birds, authorities say.

Scientists want to make sure a new variant doesn’t emerge in animals and then reinfect people.

Knut Kielland with UAF’s Department of Biology and Wildlife is trying to understand the ecology of the boreal-forest cats.

Bulldozer crews have cleared trails and fields for the bison in hopes of reducing the danger of collisions and damaged fields.

It took emailing between a few scientists until the whales were identified, because the sight is so unusual.

Female caribou were fitted with cameras that exposed a wealth of data on their diet and movements as part of a collaborative effort by multiple agencies.