Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) Spotted Walking with Cubs in Mid-Winter

Observation by Luke Williams:

There havn't been bears spotted in town this time of year in the past and on top of it, the bear had cubs with it.

Carl Kock, Wildlife Biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, writes:

The report from Haines is that a brown bear sow with a cub was out on 1/28/19 in the Haines town site area near a new development. No mention of a collar or ear tags. Weather had been pouring rain and 45-degree temps for several days leading up to the sighting. The wildlife trooper revisited the area a couple of days later and found no fresh sign. Although bears typically hibernate during winter, they can be out and about during any month of the year but we can’t say for sure why any specific bears are out during winter. If they haven’t put on enough weight they sometimes delay hibernation or emerge early in search of food. If bears obtain food such as trash or other human food they are more likely to remain out of the den and come back for more. One bear researcher told me that inexperienced bears sometimes choose a poor den site and need to find another if for example the snow melts and it gets very wet inside. I would strongly advise folks that it’s very important to be diligent about securing attractants such as trash, bird feeders, pet food, live- stock, etc. If bears get a reward they’ll just keep coming back for more.

Comments from LEO Editors:

Pictured below are two figures showing temperature data for the Haines area. Weather station data gathered by the Haines weather station shows average annual temperatures. Weather data from the nearby community of Skagway show unusually warm temperatures in mid-to-late January.

In September of 2018, Alaska Public Media reported that the number of bear sightings increased near Juneau. In the article, biologists from Fish and Game commented that the number of bear sightings may be related to more cubs born in the spring due to a mild winter, poor pink salmon returns in even years, and availability of garbage near populated areas. Erica Lujan