Bear leaves a trail of destruction in Alaska neighborhoods

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU/Gray News) - Biologists in Alaska located a brown bear believed to have broken into several garages and vehicles and even attempted to enter a house.

Fish and Game biologists euthanized the adult male brown bear Monday night in Rabbit Creek.

According to the agency, they had received several reports from the neighborhoods in that area of bears damaging garage doors and trying to get into sheds. Fish and Game Regional Supervisor Cyndi Wardlow said one even tried to push a home’s front door open.

Biologist Nick Docken said the bear fit the description in a video sent in by homeowners, and while he was reasonably certain it was responsible for some of the damage, it’s possible there are other bears involved.

“We do not know if the bear that was killed is the same bear previously reported for the garages and vehicles, and we know that at least one additional brown bear has been seen in the area,” Wardlow said in an email.

Biologists received another report of a brown bear in the same area shortly after the first bear had been euthanized, according to Wardlow. Anchorage Police and Fish and Game used drones to search for the second bear but never found it.

Wardlow said the bears’ behavior was very unusual and said it’s unclear what is causing it.

“We don’t know specifically how these bears developed these behaviors, but it definitely started with bears trying to get into garages, and it’s possible they got into trash or received some other kind of food reward when they did that and learned that that behavior could get them access to a food source that they wouldn’t have had otherwise,” she said.

The agency previously told KTUU that the bear or bears causing the destruction posed an unacceptable public safety risk.

“Obviously, that is a very serious public safety situation and something that we are trying to respond to as quickly as we can,” Wardlow said.

The department is asking people to report any brown bear sightings in Anchorage neighborhoods immediately by calling 311 after hours and on weekends. During business hours, sightings and other wildlife issues can be reported to 907-267-2179 or on the Fish and Game website. People experiencing emergencies with wildlife should call 911.