bears

Deanna and Dakota Strong have been working as a bear patrol in Klukwan. Now, they’re set to the become the new Village Public Safety Officers. (Photo courtesy of Deanna Strong)

Mother and son duo volunteering as Klukwan’s only wildlife protection now taking on VPSO role

Tlingit and Haida hires pair heading for Trooper academy as villagers begin donating their support.

 

The Tongass National Forest near Sitka on Oct. 10, 2024. The remains of a hunter who the authorities believe was fatally mauled by a bear were recovered on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, from a remote region in Alaska where such attacks are rare. (Christopher Miller/The New York Times)

Deer hunter is killed in apparent bear attack near Sitka, authorities say

The remains of a hunter who authorities believe was fatally mauled by a bear were recovered Wednesday from a remote region in Southeast Alaska where… Continue reading

 

32 Chunk is competing in this year’s Fat Bear Week, after he made a lot of progress on his salmon-eating goals this summer. (E. Johnston/National Park Service)

Ten years in, Fat Bear Week has drawn millions of viewers to a live webcam in Alaska

Weeklong competition in Katmai National Park culminates Tuesday after delayed start due to a death.

 

A mother bear and a cub try to get into a trash can on a downtown street on July 2, 2024. Two male bears were euthanized in a different part of downtown Juneau on Wednesday because they were acting aggressively near garbage cans, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)

Two black bears in downtown Juneau euthanized due to aggressive behavior around people

Exposed garbage, people insistent on approaching bears contribute to situation, official says

A mother bear and a cub try to get into a trash can on a downtown street on July 2, 2024. Two male bears were euthanized in a different part of downtown Juneau on Wednesday because they were acting aggressively near garbage cans, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
A yearling black bear waits for its mother to return. Most likely she won’t. This time of year juvenile bears are separated, sometimes forcibly, by their mothers as families break up during mating season. (Photo courtesy K. McGuire)

Bearing witness: Young bears get the boot from mom

With mating season for adults underway, juveniles seek out easy food sources in neighborhoods.

A yearling black bear waits for its mother to return. Most likely she won’t. This time of year juvenile bears are separated, sometimes forcibly, by their mothers as families break up during mating season. (Photo courtesy K. McGuire)
Fat Bear Week bracket (Photo courtesy Katmai National Park & Preserve)

Survival of the fattest: Voters decide on the heftiest Katmai brown bear

Voters decide on the heftiest Katmai brown bear

Fat Bear Week bracket (Photo courtesy Katmai National Park & Preserve)
A bear crosses a sidewalk during the early hours of Sept. 13 in downtown Juneau. (Courtesy/ August Williams)

Fall means rise in bear activity

It’s almost Octo-bear

A bear crosses a sidewalk during the early hours of Sept. 13 in downtown Juneau. (Courtesy/ August Williams)
A resident of downtown posted a series of photos on “Juneau Bear sightings” Facebook page that showed a bear eating garbage in the area on Thursday evening. According to the source, no amount of noise was able to scare the bear away from the area. (Courtesy / Angelique Buzzek)

Officials urge locals to lock car doors after bears caught opening vehicles

Bear activity is back on the rise and will only increase as hibernation grows nearer said officials.

A resident of downtown posted a series of photos on “Juneau Bear sightings” Facebook page that showed a bear eating garbage in the area on Thursday evening. According to the source, no amount of noise was able to scare the bear away from the area. (Courtesy / Angelique Buzzek)
Greg and Teresa Groeneweg pose with their dog, Ace, who is wearing a lifesaver medal Greg received from the Anchorage Fire Department years ago. He said Ace deserves it now more than him, for fighting off a bear. (Courtesy Greg Groeneweg)

Couple rescued after dog takes on brown bear

“He’s got the bear … and now he’s going to get killed.”

Greg and Teresa Groeneweg pose with their dog, Ace, who is wearing a lifesaver medal Greg received from the Anchorage Fire Department years ago. He said Ace deserves it now more than him, for fighting off a bear. (Courtesy Greg Groeneweg)
A black bear looks around near the Shrine of St. Therese in 2021. Experts said bears will soon be returning the Juneau’s urban environs. (Dana Zigmund / Juneau Empire File)

Be bear-aware as furry neighbors return to Juneau

It’s almost opening day for the cubs.

A black bear looks around near the Shrine of St. Therese in 2021. Experts said bears will soon be returning the Juneau’s urban environs. (Dana Zigmund / Juneau Empire File)
A bear feasts on the salmon run at Katmai National Park and Preserve on July 13, 2021. (Courtesy of Lian Law, National Parks Service)

Bears show off full bellies at Katmai for Fat Bear Week

KENAI — The bears of Katmai National Park and Preserve are preparing to show the world their beefy bodies starting today for this year’s Fat… Continue reading

A bear feasts on the salmon run at Katmai National Park and Preserve on July 13, 2021. (Courtesy of Lian Law, National Parks Service)
Courtesy Photo / Jesse Ramsey A number of bears, such as this one spotted downtown, have been observed around Juneau seeking shelter in cooler interiors and looking for food, according to Department of Fish and Game researchers. (Courtesy Photo / Jesse Ramsey)

Wildlife officials urge preventative measures as bears display concerning behaviors

High heat and human habituating are contributing factors.

Courtesy Photo / Jesse Ramsey A number of bears, such as this one spotted downtown, have been observed around Juneau seeking shelter in cooler interiors and looking for food, according to Department of Fish and Game researchers. (Courtesy Photo / Jesse Ramsey)
Encounters with bears like this one near the Shrine of St. Therese are on track for a normal year right now, but the berry and salmon seasons are too early to call right now, say biologists. (Dana Zigmund / Juneau Empire)

Bear encounters running par for course so far in 2021

It’s too early to call the berry or salmon seasons, which play a large part.

Encounters with bears like this one near the Shrine of St. Therese are on track for a normal year right now, but the berry and salmon seasons are too early to call right now, say biologists. (Dana Zigmund / Juneau Empire)
Peter Segall / Juneau Empire Bears, like this one looking for fish in a stream along the Steep Creek Trail at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center on Aug. 22, 2020, have been sleeping through the winter but they’re waking up and experts want residents to be prepared.

Bear in mind: What you need to know now that they’re waking up

A bear-raising situation.

Peter Segall / Juneau Empire Bears, like this one looking for fish in a stream along the Steep Creek Trail at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center on Aug. 22, 2020, have been sleeping through the winter but they’re waking up and experts want residents to be prepared.
This Feb. 13, 2021 photo provided by Erik Stevens shows a bear track in the Alaska in the backcountry near where resident Shannon Stevens was bit by a bear in an outhouse. Stevens was using an outhouse in the backcountry and she was attacked by a bear, from below.(Erik Stevens via AP)

Alaska woman using outhouse attacked by bear, from below

Pain in the rear.

  • Feb 19, 2021
  • By Mark Thiessen Associated Press
  • Newsbears
This Feb. 13, 2021 photo provided by Erik Stevens shows a bear track in the Alaska in the backcountry near where resident Shannon Stevens was bit by a bear in an outhouse. Stevens was using an outhouse in the backcountry and she was attacked by a bear, from below.(Erik Stevens via AP)
A helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Sitka, flying an MH-60 Jayhawk like the one above, rescued a backcountry skier who was attacked by a bear outside of Haines on Feb. 6, 2021. (Petty Officer 1st Class Jon-Paul Rios | U.S. Coast Guard)

Coast Guard rescues skier mauled by bear near Haines

The man is currently in stable condition at Bartlett Regional Hospital.

A helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Sitka, flying an MH-60 Jayhawk like the one above, rescued a backcountry skier who was attacked by a bear outside of Haines on Feb. 6, 2021. (Petty Officer 1st Class Jon-Paul Rios | U.S. Coast Guard)
A brown bear stands on Chichagof Island. "A Shape in the Dark: Living and Dying with Brown Bears" tells both firsthand and historic stories of human interactions with brown bears. The book is scheduled to be released Feb. 15 on Mountaineers Books. (Courtesy Photo / Bjorn Dihle)

Bearing it all: New book offers nuanced look at human-ursine interactions

Bjorn Dihle wanted to write a book about brown bears, man and how the two species get along that wasn’t scary. “I didn’t want to… Continue reading

A brown bear stands on Chichagof Island. "A Shape in the Dark: Living and Dying with Brown Bears" tells both firsthand and historic stories of human interactions with brown bears. The book is scheduled to be released Feb. 15 on Mountaineers Books. (Courtesy Photo / Bjorn Dihle)
A black bear saunters across a busy street downtown in 2018. A larger than normal number of young bears and dwindling natural food supply for them are forcing the animals to head for Juneau’s garbage with unusual frequency, a wildlife official said. KTOO Public Media reports that a poor berry crop and lackluster salmon runs mean more bears are looking for food among the city’s trash. (AP Photo / Becky Bohrer)

More young bears, less food send them to Juneau’s garbage

A poor berry crop and lackluster salmon runs contribute.

A black bear saunters across a busy street downtown in 2018. A larger than normal number of young bears and dwindling natural food supply for them are forcing the animals to head for Juneau’s garbage with unusual frequency, a wildlife official said. KTOO Public Media reports that a poor berry crop and lackluster salmon runs mean more bears are looking for food among the city’s trash. (AP Photo / Becky Bohrer)
Alaska Department of Fish and Game wildlife educator Abby McAllister applies a sticker letting a resident know their trash can isn’t bear-resistant as part of a larger effort to reduce rising numbers of bears in Juneau. (Courtesy photo / Laurie Craig)

Group works to reduce bear-related issues as public outcry rises

There’s no such thing as truly-bear proof .

Alaska Department of Fish and Game wildlife educator Abby McAllister applies a sticker letting a resident know their trash can isn’t bear-resistant as part of a larger effort to reduce rising numbers of bears in Juneau. (Courtesy photo / Laurie Craig)
The Juneau Bear Committee will be identifying and tagging trash cans that lack bear-resistant characteristics with these stickers the week of Aug. 31. (Courtesy art / Juneau Police Department)

Juneau Bear Committee canvassing to tag inadequate trash cans

This year’s young bears are bold and plentiful.

The Juneau Bear Committee will be identifying and tagging trash cans that lack bear-resistant characteristics with these stickers the week of Aug. 31. (Courtesy art / Juneau Police Department)