By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
A large male bear tore down a chain link fence and killed a 125-pound dog late Wednesday night, the Department of Fish and Game reported today.
Wildlife Management Biologist Steve Bethune said he and local law enforcement officers intend to track down and kill the aggressive bear. Meanwhile, residents are being warned to keep their pets indoors at night.
The attack took place at about 11 p.m. Wednesday at 105 Rudolph Walton Circle, in the Indian River subdivision.
“It was the worst thing we have ever seen,” Georgianna Smith, owner of the mixed breed dog (named Bear) told the Sentinel. “We tried to save our dog but this bear was very aggressive and not afraid of anything.’’
Afterward, “my husband with the escort of SPD went to retrieve our Bear’s body,” she said. “He was still alive but was just suffering. They brought our dog Bear to the vet to be put to sleep. ... I can still hear our Bear crying when we couldn’t help.”
A 125-pound 11-year-old mixed breed dog named Bear is pictured in its chain link fenced enclosure on Rudolph Walton Circle. A brown bear broke into the enclosure Wednesday night and fatally mauled the dog. (Photo provided to the Sentinel)
Bethune said the bear “was right up against those muskegs back there, and it had been seen in the neighborhood ... by a few different people,” Bethune said.
He added that once a bear crosses that line, it becomes a target.
“Once a bear kills a dog in town, that’s over the line. We have been attempting and will continue to attempt to remove that bear,” he said.
Officers fired at the bear as they searched up Indian River Wednesday night, but Bethune said the shots seem to have missed.
“We did some tracking last night, the police actually fired a couple rounds at the bear and were unsuccessful at hitting the bear. We did a little bit of reconnaissance to see if there was any blood… Police and troopers could not find any blood or hair this morning,” he said.
The biologist noted that the bear in question is new to town, and, up to last night, was not problematic.
“He had been acting OK, he wasn’t showing any signs of aggression, but he went quickly from a benign bear to a definitely public safety issue,” he said.
Law enforcement officers killed another large bear on Edgecumbe Drive last month after the bear, nicknamed “The Terrorist” by police, damaged property and raided trash cans.
For now, Bethune urged Sitkans to keep their pets indoors.
“The big warning right now for folks in that area is not to leave your dogs outside at night. It was clearly a predatory attack on the dog. There is a likelihood that the bear may return and look for a similar food source again tonight,” he said.
While he did not ascribe this particular incident to unsecured trash, Bethune asked Sitkans to secure their trash until the morning of pickup so as to reduce the chances of a bear encounter.
He said the hunt for the bear will continue tonight.
“Myself and the troopers and the police will be out again tonight looking for the bear,” Bethune said.
