‘BEARS, BEARS AN
WELCOME TO ALASKA
BY BJORN DIHLE
I
n 2019, a young fisherman was walking through a boatyard in Naknek in Bristol Bay when he bumped into a brown bear feeding from a dumpster. It was nighttime, when bears are most active and bold, especially around human activity. The man ran and, moments later, was knocked down by the bear. Though the bear bit his calf, the
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ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL
man fought back and managed to break free. The bear nipped him one last time on the butt before he was able to climb to safety on his father’s boat. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game and Alaska State Wildlife Troopers were notified, and two juvenile bears were killed near the location of the attack.
THE BRUIN REALITY Living with bears isn’t easy but, for folks
MAY 2022 | aksportingjournal.com
in Bristol Bay and the Alaska Peninsula it’s a fact of everyday life. The biggest problem communities face, according to Dillingham’s Animal Control Officer Dan Boyd – and as the above story highlights – is poorly stored garbage. A bear that becomes habituated to eating trash is much more likely to lose its fear of people than a “wild” bear. Bristol Bay and the Alaska Peninsula are home to about one-third of Alaska’s
