Anchorage black bear stirs up trouble

ANCHORAGE - A black bear in Anchorage is gaining a reputation for stalking people and eating trash.

The adult male bear was seen Wednesday outside the south Anchorage home of Lt. Dave Parker, spokesman for the Anchorage Police Department.

State biologist Rick Sinnott says he plans to shoot the bear if he can find it.

Anchorage saw a rash of human-bear encounters last summer, including two serious brown bear maulings in Bicentennial Park.

Bears usually begin stirring in April.

But Sinnott said the troublesome black bear appears to have been up since early March.