Two young black bears have sent camera shutters clicking and gawkers gawking this summer as a result of their preferred dining area alongside Glacier Highway, north of Juneau.
Over the last few weeks, these bears could be seen foraging on dandelions and other greenery in the vicinity of Peterson Creek.
They’ve also caused more than a few traffic delays and are inadvertently prompting some humans to act, perhaps, before thinking.
Onlookers have reported seeing cars and tour buses stopped in the middle of the highway or pulled over in an area with little or no shoulder. There have also been reports called in to officials with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game of individuals standing mere feet away from these feeding bears. One caller reported seeing people trying to feed the bear from their car window.
Hearing stories like these concerns experts like ADF&G Area Management Biologist Ryan Scott who said situations like this never end well, especially for the bear. He said it’s important to think about the lessons these bears might be learning.
“If they are getting food, they will remember those lessons ... they’ll start associating humans with food,” he said. “It’s the people (of Juneau) that will deal with the negative impacts.”
The bears themselves, he said, appear to be yearlings. It’s likely they were recently “kicked out” by mom and they have found an easy and plentiful food source. To the bears, Scott said, their lunchtime snack spot seems fitting; it’s plentiful and devoid of larger bruins who have already learned that roadsides are not safe havens.
“The bears’ behavior is absolutely normal,” he said. “There’s nothing odd, other than being able to tolerate people watching what they are doing.”
This pair of bears doesn’t concern Scott. It’s the behavior of the onlookers, he said, that is disturbing.
“They are doing inappropriate things, like approaching the bear too close ... parking right in front of the bear ...” he said. “And, it’s absolutely illegal to feed the bears.”
When wild animals feel threatened or oppressed, they will act out, he said, creating a dangerous situation for all involved.
Roadside wildlife is certainly one of the perks to living in Southeast. Scott said he encourages people to take the opportunity to watch bears and other wildlife when they have the opportunity.
“Of the things to remember (when viewing wildlife), don’t approach too close,” he said. “And in this case, I think you have to take into consideration what is safe, as far as the vehicle on the road goes. If you can’t pull your vehicle way off the road, then you should just keep going. Or, if there’s a lot of congestion, then you ought to consider not stopping. There’s no need to add to the mix.”
Scott said there are those who just can’t resist stopping for a while to watch, and that’s fine, just play it safe.
“If you’re a diehard viewer, throw a pair of binoculars in your car. If you’re a photographer, use a camera with a long lens or a good zoom,” he said. “Is there a magic number in the sand for a good distance? Not really. But is (giving the bears) 50 yards too much to ask? 150 feet? No, I don’t think so.”
Of course, never feed the bears or corner them, he said.
“It’s just going to create issues down the road that nobody needs.”
Scott said the bears’ behavior suggests they are “pretty mellow” and they’ve become habituated to people being around.
“They are obviously not out to hurt anybody, but they are wild animals and we have to treat them as such,” he said. “(All it takes is) a startle, a loud noise, an encroachment or something ... (we) don’t want to push any buttons and have a bad outcome.”
To report an unsafe situation, Scott said the public can contact the Douglas Area wildlife Office at 465-4359, or the Alaska Wildlife Troopers, 465-4000.
• Contact Outdoors Editor Abby Lowell at abby.lowell@juneauempire.com.
Comments (34)
Add commentThey definitely dont seem
They definitely dont seem bothered by people at all. My experience has been pretty tame out there. Everyone has been pretty respectful, except for one guy in a silver jeep who whipped right in front of everyone who were parked and watching, blocked their view, spooked the bear then left. Bear came back out and we carried on. No one was trying to walk up to the bear. One guy with a huge camera was out of his truck but kept the vehicle between him and the bear. Last night I parked a ways away and watched him and he grazed until he was right below my passenger side window, then grazed tight on by. Totally uninterested in me. Got some good pics!
Bears
Perhaps you think you aren't affecting their behavior, but those of us "out the road" are increasingly frustrated with the fact that these bears are getting more tolerant than ever of the human presence. Perhaps if you came home to four bears lounging in your yard, or coming up to your windows when dogs were barking you would understand. Thank you, Ryan, for bringing this to the media.
Deb, you have a different
Deb, you have a different issue in your area though. Fish and Game just needs to deal with those bears since they are collateral damage of a retard playing Grizzly Adams.
look a bear...
I think the KINY story headline was much more appropriate...
"Bear trouble reported out the road...people the ones causing it"
KP - True that
Yes, but those bears have a huge range. The mama with the 3 cubs has been right here in my yard. I've seen her on the bypass road and also a few miles past Cohen. I understand the attraction - I sure thought it was cute and unique at first, until they hit the point nothing would scare them away. The comment right after yours is right - people have gotten way, way too close and they are contributing to the problem.
Thanks Ryan -
For reminding all of us that even bears who seem 'not bothered by us' are not to be approached.
It's not about our perception of what the bear might be 'thinking' - it's about recognizing it is our responsibility to stay 150 feet away or more.
I think there should be a link...
...on the EMPIRE's web site where people can upload pictures of bears, as well as recent sightings around Juneau. The ADN does this. This would also create a good online log of bear activity and trouble areas around Juneau.
NewLife
You forgot to blame unions for these people's behavior.
So we should all avoid the
So we should all avoid the bear viewing platform at the glacier and the USFS should be fined?
MikeyToo
You forgot to add Muslims, Socialists, Kenyans, Saul Alinsky, and Rev Wright
Idiot
The bear viewing platform is for viewing bears. The middle of Glacier HWY is for vehicular traffic and not bear viewing and feeding.
Dandelions are an invasive species
The root cause are dandelions. Dandelions are not native to Alaska.
Too bad bears don't eat knotweed.
Bears are cool
As long as they stay out of my house !
Bear viewing platform?
I am pretty sure it is a salmon viewing platform that just happens to have bear activity.
Hug, isnt the issue viewing
Hug, isnt the issue viewing bears is habtuating them to our presence? Why is it different if its at the glacier or Peterson Cr? So really, your issue is a traffic problem? Get the troopers out there issuing trafic violations to those who don't pull off onto the shoulder.
Jess, even the FS employees refer to it as a bear viewing platform.
And if you have been out to
And if you have been out to the glacier recently, you know there are throngs of eager tourists all standing right on top of the bears, clicking away obliviously. Go harass them. Leave us alone to commune with the bears. No wonder the old coot at Andreanoff was chumming them into his yard. Can't even park on the side of the road to get a few pics without someone b*tching. Is it just that you don't want anyone enjoying nature in Juneau?
I can see the 'be smart and dont try to pet them, feed them', etc but if I am parked on the shoulder a good distance away, who cares. I try to stay back, but I'm also not going to back down the entire dang highway because he is walking toward me. If he walks right beside the truck, I'm gonna enjoy the nice pics, admitedly while I am ready to react to any crankiness from him. How is that a bad thing?
Kpawsuh, both times I have
Kpawsuh, both times I have encountered people viewing the bears, they have been respectiful i.e. not approaching the bears and not making any loud noises.
However, both times, cars were stopped in BOTH lanes of the road... and didn't move! I sat there for several minutes each time waiting for them to figure out what the hell was going on. The incredulous look on my wife's face was priceless.
People's lack of awareness, common sense and common courtesty just astounds me sometimes...
Always going to be idiots, I
Always going to be idiots, I guess. I haven't had any issues out there.
Yummy!
Spring Black Bear eating dandelions before he gets into the fish? How incredibly YUMMY! Nothing better than sweet spring black bear for sausage and stews. He can wander right into my freezer.
Yep. It's cool if people are
Yep. It's cool if people are sitting there enjoying the experience in a respectful manner, they just need to pull off the road.
And the glacier is far worse. When I worked for Gastineau Guiding doing photo safari tours out there, I saw things that blew my mind. The poor Forest Service person trying to keep people in line always looked like they were about ready to choke someone.
I'm actually very surprised no one has been attacked yet. I guess it goes to show how tolerant the bears can be. I know if I was one, I would end up clawing some tourist's face off.
Bears are fun to watch
Seriously, all you grumpy folks just zoom on by without braking when you see a bear by the road? Geez, why not move to Cleveland?
I stopped to watch a bear recently and soon there were 4 cars on my side of the road (bear side) and 2 on the other. Everyone pulled over. Then I saw a tourist standing 25 feet away from the bear taking pictures with a zoom lens...no car between him and the bear.
Idiot.
So I did what any polite local would do... reminded the ya-hoo to keep his distance. It's polite to impart local info for visitors who may not know in any part of the world. A little bit of friendly chatter, you know?
"Hey, buddy, it's great that the bear is tolerant, but standing on the other side of your car would be a good idea..." etc.
Or, if the case may be (which I've never seen), "Oh, no, ma'am, it's quite unfair to feed the bear. We don't do that here. Just enjoy them in their environment. Thank you."
As long as people pull to the shoulder and don't feed the bears, it's just fine in my opinion.
A little thing I learned
Years ago, at times black bears would come into our back yard to eat the berries. I tried to drive them away by making noise or yelling at then.
Then I discovered a better way to chase them away - one of those little, hand-held cans of compressed air / horn that we carried in our skiff.Just a couple of loud blasts from the little air horn made them run back into the woods.
air horn
Nice to know! I carry one of those when I hike instead of bear spray. Haven't had to use it ever, but it seems like it would scare the dickens out of any black bear out there.
@middleoftheroad
I've had similar experiences when I've spotted whales in the channel. Pull over on Egan and stand there with a camera, and within 5 minutes you'll have at least a dozen more cars pulled over around you.
unforseen road closure due to telepresent humans
Once I was stuck in a bearjam with traffic backed up over a half mile in each direction. I formed a novel idea and also jumped out of my vehicle like the others standing around to see if I could be of any assistance. Like them, I quickly pulled out my video/cell/digital/photo recording devices. I started documenting everyone and their behavior, exactly as intent as they were on documenting the behavior of bears.
As soon as people observed they were being documented, they had a realization about their own existential situation, and immediately ran for their cars and departed with their faces covered. One woman was obviously irate at her husband for being so slow to depart as I took time to photograph her vehicle plates, and talk to her while she sat in the drivers seat parked in the roadway, being at that moment the primary blockage bottleneck of travel.
I never needed to discuss any authority, or intent to do anything with my photos. The people were like bears in their natural habitat, very agitated at my forced interaction and not at all sociable. Only intent on doing what the law demands and acting on their own natual accord with a proper notion of what is right and what is not. Aloha!
unforseen road closure due to telepresent humans
Once I was stuck in a bearjam with traffic backed up over a half mile in each direction. I formed a novel idea and also jumped out of my vehicle like the others standing around to see if I could be of any assistance. Like them, I quickly pulled out my video/cell/digital/photo recording devices. I started documenting everyone and their behavior, exactly as intent as they were on documenting the behavior of bears.
As soon as people observed they were being documented, they had a realization about their own existential situation, and immediately ran for their cars and departed with their faces covered. One woman was obviously irate at her husband for being so slow to depart as I took time to photograph her vehicle plates, and talk to her while she sat in the drivers seat parked in the roadway, being at that moment the primary blockage bottleneck of travel.
I never needed to discuss any authority, or intent to do anything with my photos. The people were like bears in their natural habitat, very agitated at my forced interaction and not at all sociable. Only intent on doing what the law demands and acting on their own natual accord with a proper notion of what is right and what is not. Aloha!
Jo - I like your idea but would mix it with a project like 'JohnTV'. If communities watched and circulated media of uncivil activity, like illegal dumping, parking in the roadway, unsignaled left-hand turns, etc. maybe this form of public service would do well to decrease the occurence of such events where people hope, and expect to not be seen or confronted.
smolson - I tried that.
Wally - The bears between 15-20 mile are so habituated that cars, air horns, firecrackers, etc are useless. When I tried tossing a pack of 50 firecrackers, the bear stopped coming toward me. When the last one popped he ran up to where they were and sniffed them.
Has it occurred to no one
Has it occurred to no one here that if bears aren't afraid of roads, they'll venture forth onto them and get hit by cars more often?
Black Bear baiting is legal
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=bearbaiting.main
F&G even has a clinic on how to do it right.
"There are two main bait classifications, call bait and food bait.
1.Call Bait: This is usually a strong scent used to draw bears in from long distances. It is most effective when you can get the call bait up high in a tree. Examples of call baits include sweet items coated in syrup or vanilla. A number of effective commercial scent lures are also available.
2.Food Bait: Every veteran bear baiter has their own secret food bait, but the bottom line is to find something that keeps the black bears coming back. Examples of food bait to put in your drum container are: dog food, syrup, honey, molasses, doughnuts, old bread, popcorn or any mixture of the above items—but mainly sweet stuff."
hmm
i thought fireworks were illegal in juneau.there should be a pull off or rest area with proper signage to educate the people on what is allowed and not.does anybody know how many if any citations have been given for feeding those bears.we need some enforcement out there sounds like.stop complaining and do something.