Urban Bears Spotted in East Midtown

Brianna Gibbs/KMXT
Some Kodiak residents got company this week when some four-legged mammals paid a visit in their neighborhoods. Kodiak Police Lieutenant Kyle Valerio said now is the time of year that community members can expect more bears to be out and about in residential areas.
“In the town primary, Kodiak, we’ve had the last few days reports of two different bears that have simply walking around and being seen. They’ve been walking and showing up on the Selief Lane area, Beaver Lake area, Safeway, Saint Mary’s area and college grounds area," he said. "And they’re pretty much just going from the forested area, just traveling through. And this is typically what we see this time of year with bears. As the salmon season winds down and the berries peter out they tend to get more active, they’re more curious and entering what’s called hyperphagia. And that’s where they’re just trying to build up as much fat as possible before they den up for the winter.”

Valerio said at least two different bears have been spotted in these areas.

— (Bears Afoot 2 :15 “One’s probably about a three or four-year old cub, and the other is a larger sow, and they’ve been behaving very well. We haven’t had any real confrontations. Typically when we hear about them it’s because they crossed a road and a motorist may have seen them. And we couldn’t ask for better behaved bears. They’re doing really good in that respect.”)

Kodiak is bear country, and Valerio said community members need to respect and acknowledge the fact that bears will be around.

— (Bears Afoot 3 :17 “I think it’s important that people realize that we live in a community where there are bears, and there are going to be sightings and people need to make sure they’re keeping their dog food in sight and that they’re keeping their garabage cleaned up and stored before it’s time to put it out for garbage day because we don’t want to create any issues with the bears.”)

Valerio said parents should keep an eye on their kids’ walking routes to school and bus stop areas. He said the bears are acting well behaved, but it’s important to still be cognitive of these sightings, especially as the mornings get darker earlier. He said he hopes the community can respect the animals and ultimately both the bears and people can remain safe and unharmed in the coming weeks.

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