Refuge Moves Madsen Bear Indoors

Kayla Desroches/KMXT

Kodiak’s Madsen bear is on the move again. Unlike real bears of the fur and flesh variety, the fiberglass animal doesn’t bare up well against the wind, rain, and – just recently – the snow.

Last week, city staff and Brechan Enterprises moved the 60-year-old statue from in front of the Kodiak Refuge Visitor Center to a safer, dryer indoor location.

The sculpture is a homage to Kodiak’s first registered bear guide, Charles Madsen, who fought for the protection of the Kodiak brown bear after hunting in the 20th century began to impact the population.

The community is soon to get a new, weatherproofed version of the Madsen bear, cast in bronze.

According to a refuge press release, the statue is close to completion.