It’s one of only four mammals in Alaska to contract the virus, and the first brown bear to be found with the disease.
Furry visitors have kept the residents of Angoon on their toes for the past few weeks. Several bears have made a habit of passing through town.
Biologists say the bison population took a big hit this winter. More than a dozen were hit and killed by vehicles because the animals were using roads in lieu of their usual trails, which were covered by deep snow and ice.
The novel virus has only affected two people, both in Fairbanks. The "Alaskapox" was first identified in 2015 after a Fairbanks woman sought medical attention for a small skin lesion, pained fever and fatigue. In August, a second Fairbanks woman with no known connection to the first was found to have the virus. Scientists suspect both women may have gotten the virus from contact with small wild animals.
Half the bears were killed by people who said they were defending their lives or property. The other half were killed by police, park rangers or wildlife biologists.
The bears won’t hibernate if food remains available, so the continued availability of trash in the area has created a dangerous situation, biologists say.
Mountain lion sightings have been reported in far Southeast Alaska for years, and one sighting has been confirmed.
Temperatures might be down in Kodiak, but that doesn’t mean bear problems are down too. Fish & Game has tracked down and shot three problem bears in town over the last week, and they’re reminding residents — not all bears hibernate in the winter.
The elusive animals use snow caves to give birth and nurture their young. Just how much spring snow they need is not yet known.
In New England where ticks have decimated moose, the average tick load is 40,000, and some have been found with 90,000.
The bear tore through a chain link enclosure around midnight on November 4, and killed a 125-pound mixed-breed dog belonging to Georgiana Smith — who immediately informed her Indian River-area neighbors of the incident on the Sitka Bear Report Facebook page.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game officials say a bunch of young bears and a dwindling natural food supply are forcing the bruins to search human garbage for food before they hibernate for the winter.
The average weight of adult reindeer on Svalbard, north of Norway, has fallen to 106 pounds from 121 pounds in the 1990s
Passengers weren't harmed, but a brown bear cub was orphaned.
Scientists documented a single wolverine in California from 2008 to 2018. That wolverine was first discovered in February 2008 in the Truckee region of the Tahoe National Forest. The recent detections were likely of a different wolverine given that the species’ lifespan is typically 12 to 13 years.
Moose and other species have advanced north with warming temperatures. University of Alaska Fairbanks assistant professor of water and environmental research Ken Tape said movement of boreal species into far northern Alaska has corresponded over the last century with earlier snow-melt and river ice out.
Life in Bristol Bay’s villages is expensive. For Port Heiden residents, a gallon of shelf stable milk costs more than 20 dollars. Fresh milk isn’t available because it would take too long to ship. But they’re working on improving their access to fresh foods by producing their own.
Canadian researchers learned that local Inuvialuit hunters had spotted beavers in the region in 2008 and 2009. Those sightings are the first documented signs of North American beaver occupancy on the Beaufort coastal plain.
As lichen has disappeared, the herd has changed its diet. This adaptation could have global implications for reindeer facing a warming climate.
One of the men was caught on a livestream camera wading into Brooks Falls and taking a selfie in front of the bears.
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