Fish and Game has killed 20 bears in the Anchorage area this year amid increased bear activity

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has euthanized more bears in the Anchorage area this year than last, including three in just the last week . Early Tuesday morning, biologists euthanized a brown bear it believes caused a trail of destruction in a Rabbit Creek Neighborhood. Biologist Nick Docken said they feel fairly certain they got the right bear but there could be more than one. “We knew that we were dealing with multiple bears in this region,” Docken said. “We just were unsure how many bears were taking it to the next level of breaking into sheds, breaking into garages, pushing on front doors of homes. And so that question is still out there.” Docken said the department got several reports of a brown bear in the area Tuesday night, but none included the same level of destructive activity. He encouraged people to continue reporting sightings immediately. In total, Fish and Game has killed 20 bears in the Anchorage area in 2026, including 12 black bears and eight brown bears. Docken said most of the black bears were causing damage on JBER and most of the brown bears were killed in Eagle River, including a family of four that was killed after breaking into a home in search of chickens.

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