Daily Sitka Sentinel

Dog’s Death Spurs New Action on Bears

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    A bear killed a dog in the Indian River subdivision over the weekend, prompting Fish and Game and police to step up efforts to destroy the one or two bears that have been killing animals and destroying property.
    “It’s the second (dog) in two weeks that has been killed,” said F&G wildlife biologist Steve Bethune. “The bear should be in its den by now. With the continued stealing of deer, getting into coops – this has gone on too long. We do think there is a public safety issue at this point.”
    David Papoi, who lives at 111 Herb Didrickson Street, called police Sunday morning reporting a bear had broken into his shed and taken a hanging deer carcass. Papoi also reported that his dog Loki – a Rottweiler mix – was missing, and posted a photo of Loki on the Sitka Bear Report Facebook page.
    Bethune was told of the incident about 1 p.m. Sunday and went to Papoi’s neighborhood, where residents came out to talk to him and offer their help. Bethune and Wildlife Trooper Kyle Ferguson found the body of the dog in the woods about 50 yards from the nearest home, but no sign of a bear protecting its cache.
    Ferguson, Bethune and a volunteer hunter removed the dog and waited nearby for a chance to kill the bear – and perhaps a second one that has been prowling the area – until it got too dark to shoot safely, Bethune said.
    He said a trap has been set up involving a culvert on a trailer, with bait and a spring-loaded door that closes to trap the bear inside.
    The bear has not shown up, but Bethune said the traps don’t always work because bears don’t like to enter confined spaces. He added that motion detector cameras have been set up but are not showing any bear activity at the trap as yet.
    Bethune said a few weeks ago he gave local police officers the green light to dispatch the bear, following the killing of the last dog and reports of bears killing chickens and domestic ducks, and invading residents’ property to take deer carcasses.
    In the Saturday incident, the bear broke into a well-constructed shed to get at the deer carcass, Bethune said.
    He said finding and killing the bear – or bears – is tricky, since conditions must be right to ensure the safety of people in the surrounding area. There’s also evidence there may be two bears, since separate size footprints were found in the snow in the Indian River neighborhood by residents.
    While authorities are concerned about public safety, Bethune added, “We haven’t seen any aggression toward people but it’s become an untenable situation.”
    The first dog was killed two weeks ago on Charlie Joseph Street in the Indian River subdivision. Police have received regular reports this fall of bears getting into coops and killing chickens and ducks, and destroying property, on Shotgun Alley, Sawmill Creek Road, Pherson Street, Wachusetts Street, Vennetti’s trailer court, Furuhelm Street, Lakeview Way, the SJC campus, and in other parts of town.