KATMAI NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE – Right in the middle of Fat Bear Week, concerns about a bear that received fish from fishermen four different times in Katmai National Park & Preserve led to the temporary closure of the area below the world-famous Brooks Falls.
“Bears receiving fish from anglers creates conditions where the bears can learn to consider people as a source of food, which leads to unsafe conditions,” said the National Park Service.
The NPS says they were able to address the behavior exhibited by bear #307. They didn’t say how they addressed it, but as a result, the river corridor that stretches 50 yards on either side of the Brooks River reopened Monday, Oct. 7. Bear #307 is a 5-year-old male bear (also called a boar) with a dark colored coat and light tipped ears.
Brooks River is quite popular with fishermen. But of course, the annual salmon runs also attract a large number of brown bears that feast on the fish to fatten up before winter. Fishermen are warned to cut or break their line to prevent bears from eating a fish caught on a line, and associating food with people. They’re also not allowed to fish when a bear is within 50 yards.
“Never let a bear acquire a fish from you,” the NPS warns anglers.
Meanwhile, another stretch of the Brooks River area remains off-limits because of a bear carcass. That bear was killed by another bear in a recent incident that upset many fans of the explore.org livestream of the famous Alaska bears.
NATIONAL PARK NEWS
