It may be October, but Juneau Police dispatchers and Alaska Department of Fish and Game officials are still getting calls about bears roaming around town and searching for food before heading into the hills for their winter hibernation.
“Bears are in our community. We live with them. But we can also coexist,” said Stephanie Sell, ADF&G’s acting area wildlife biologist for the Juneau vicinity.
Sell said there’s no real established time of year that each bear would begin its hibernation, and some bears may intermittently emerge from their dens for a mid-winter snack. As an example, a black bear was reported roaming around downtown Juneau and looking for food last January. Therefore, there’s not really a time of year that Juneau residents should drop their guard when it comes to handling and storing their trash.
“So, as long as everybody can help us out and just make sure they go through their yard and make sure attractants are picked up, garbage is enclosed in a bear-proof can or enclosure that a bear can’t get into, we’ll all be able to coexist,” Sell said.
A home owner on Back Loop Road shot and killed a young, male black bear last month after it repeatedly tried to get into a freezer that was placed outside during a home renovation project. The incident was considered to be in defense of life or property since the homeowner tried to take measures to prevent wildlife intrusions.
For this season, Sell said ADF&G relocated four bears to an undisclosed locations and euthanized four other bears that repeatedly demonstrated destructive behavior.
Sell recommends Juneau homeowners try an electric fence to protect their livestock or chicken coop.
