In warm Alaska, bears are still roaming in November

Source: Alaska Dispatch News

When Bruce Batten looked out his window and onto his second-floor porch in Eagle River early Friday, he didn’t expect to see a black bear maneuvering up the steps. He also didn’t expect to see it grab ahold of his new bird feeder and begin devouring the seeds encased within.

“In NOVEMBER… really?” Batten wrote in an email to Alaska Dispatch News.

Batten sent photographs of the incident to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, which prompted the agency to send out a news release Friday afternoon entitled: “Hang Onto Your Birdseed, Warm Winter Has Bears Stirring,” encouraging residents in Southcentral Alaska to keep their bird feeders inside and their trash secured for at least a few more weeks.

Dave Battle, an assistant area wildlife biologist with Fish and Game, said a mix of mild temperatures and little to no snow has led some bears to hang around for longer than usual. Plus, he said, accessible bird feeders and high-caloric trash don’t exactly encourage a bear to retire for the winter. ... Battle said it’s not just Eagle River where bears remain out of hibernation, though Fish and Game has received a flurry of reports from that area. Last week, it also received reports of a black bear sow and four cubs in Government Hill, Battle said.

Read more: http://www.adn.com/article/20141109/fish-and-game-southcentral-alaska-residents-hang-your-birdseed