Rumors that a man was mauled by a bear in Sitka last week are not true. That’s the verdict from Phil Mooney, the area wildlife biologist with the Department of Fish and Game. Many Sitkans heard talk of a mauling over the past week, but, said Mooney, “As far as we know at this moment, that bear attack didn’t happen.”
Mooney’s office got a call early last week from staff at SEARHC who had treated a patient who claimed he had been attacked by a bear. But, hospital staff said, his injuries didn’t look like they’d been caused by a bear.
“The hospital relayed to us that the wounds were more consistent with a fall,” Mooney said.
Mooney said the level of bear activity so far this summer has been about the same as in years past. A sow and three-year-old have been sighted in Starrigavan estuary, causing the Forest Service to close the boardwalk there several times. And there are several juveniles active around town: residents have reported bears on Andrew Hope Street, at Halibut Point Recreation Area, and on Sawmill Creek Road. Mooney reminded Sitkans to lock up their garbage, avoid leaving pet food outside, clean up barbecues, and, above all, not to get too close.
“Whether or not the bear is out there, or walking down your street, or passing through your yard, the same things applies: you don’t want to approach the bear,” Mooney said. “Feel free to take pictures from the safety of your car or the house, and it’s fine to call your neighbors up and tell them there’s a bear in the area, just so they’re aware of it, but most cases we have right now, we have a variety of juveniles of different ages in town, and they’re simply moving through, trying to pick up food.”
Mooney said the bears should move on soon, as long as they don’t get a taste for human food. And he encouraged people to call the Sitka Police Department or the Department of Fish and Game to report bear sightings.
