A brown bear strolls through a Sitka neighborhood in July, 2014. (Facebook photo/Sitka Bear Report)
Wildlife troopers in Sitka shot and killed a brown bear Friday afternoon (7-14-17) after it killed and partially consumed a resident’s dog.
A homeowner on Rudolf Walton Circle notified troopers at around 3:30 p.m. that he suspected that his dog had just been killed.
Troopers and Sitka police responded to the area and found the dog’s carcass in the woods behind the home, and a male brown bear nearby.
Brown bears are known aggressively protect food caches. The troopers subsequently killed the bear, and surrendered its hide, claws, and skull to the state.
Alaska Department of Fish & Game biologist Steve Bethune assisted in processing the animal. He says it was a 4-year old male, weighing about 300 pounds. Bethune says the bear was in good condition — but a bit skinny.
Rudolf Walton Circle is located in Sitka’s Indian River neighborhood, which is often frequented by bears. Although troopers found no evidence that garbage brought the bear to this particular home, it has been an ongoing problem in the area.
This is the second bear killed in Sitka this summer. On June 14 a resident on Bahovec Court, on the other end of town, shot a bear who was reportedly threatening his dog.
Wildlife authorities in Sitka received fewer than average bear calls from the public in the beginning of the summer. However, the Facebook page “Sitka Bear Report” lists 13 sightings of bears in Sitka since July 12, including several of the bear on Rudolf Walton Circle.
Bethune says that salmon should be arriving in streams any day now, likely drawing bears away from Sitka’s neighborhoods.
This is the second bear killed in Sitka this summer. On June 14 a resident on Bahovec Court, on the other end of town, shot a bear who was reportedly threatening his dog.
