In the past week, Alaska Department of Fish and Game staff have killed three bears in South Anchorage that officials say were damaging property and getting into unsecured trash cans.
The most recent incident happened Tuesday morning. Fish and Game officials killed a male brown bear in the Rabbit Creek neighborhood after they received reports of a bear breaking into garages, vehicles and even pushing in the door of a house.
Cyndi Wardlow is Fish and Game's regional supervisor for wildlife conservation in Southcentral Alaska. The department isn't sure it got the bear that had damaged the property, but it matched the description, she said.
"It was in the same area," Wardlow said. "And since that animal was killed, we've still received reports of brown bear sightings in the area, but we haven't had any other reports of structure damage."
The other incident happened Sept. 17 in the Abbott Loop neighborhood. Fish and Game staff discovered a sow and three cubs were getting into unsecured trash cans, Wardlow said. Bears aggressively defend food sources, even garbage, and the four animals became a public safety issue, she said.
"So the department did make the decision to euthanize that sow, and one of the cubs was also killed," Wardlow said. "But one of the other cubs was captured and taken to the zoo for permanent placement, and we're still trying to locate the third cub so that we can also take that one to the zoo for placement."
As Anchorage moves into fall and winter, forecasters predict the area could see a warmer than usual season as a Super El Niño weather pattern develops across the state. It's possible the weather pattern could impact whether bears stay inside their dens during the winter, Wardlow said.
"As long as they're able to continue finding food, whether that's natural foods or if it's garbage, they will stay out of the dens," Wardlow said. "In winters when we have lighter snow or if we have a lot of freeze-thaw conditions, we can also see bears coming out of their dens throughout the winter. They don't necessarily stay in the den for the entire time."
Even in the winter, Anchorage residents should secure their trash cans and take in bird feeders if they see reports of bears in their area, Wardlow said. She added that unsecured trash and human food left out in a way that attracts bears could result in a fine as well.
Residents can report bear sightings to 311.
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