Throwing out visitors who overstay their welcome is a common late night practice in downtown bars. But one guest last night was particularly unwelcome at the Alaskan Hotel & Bar.
Around 9:15 p.m., C. Scott Fry, the hotel and bar manager, watched the black bear walk down the sidewalk past the hotel lobby.
“And as soon as he got to the bar door, it made a left and walked in like he wanted to have a beer,” Fry said.
Ariel Svetlik-McCarthy was tending bar last night. She says it had been quiet up to that point. She realized the bear was inside and freaked out.
She yelled, “No bear! Get out! No! You can’t be in here!’”
Within seconds, the black bear obliged. It looked underage, too, she quips.
Area management biologist Ryan Scott with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game recalls bears visiting Bartlett Regional Hospital and private homes. But, he says, bears going inside buildings is rare.
“Sounds to me like they did great, and it’s good news the bear did oblige,” Scott said.
Alaska wildlife officials have put down two nuisance bears in Juneau this summer.
