A fifth black bear has been killed at Anchorage's Centennial Campground, where about 200 homeless residents are now staying and which is next to Chugach State Park. “It’s a practically unlimited supply of bears,' said Fish and Game biologist Dave Battle.
A black bear sow and two cubs look for food inside a tent on June 29 at Centennial Park in Anchorage.
“It was just a few feet from a tent when they killed it,” said Dave Battle, Anchorage area biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. He was on his way to the campground to respond to a report of a bear when wildlife troopers with the state Department of Public Safety arrived and dispatched the animal.
Bears are proving to be a significant issue at Centennial Park, in large part because of all the food necessary to support an estimated 200 people staying there. Authorities have tried to discourage campers from keeping unsecured food at their sites and inside tents, and spentstorage containers, but it’s an uphill battle.
The camp is situated between the Glenn Highway and Chugach State Park, which is filled with black bears — and a fair number of brown bears, though none have yet been reported inside Centennial.
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