Wildlife troopers in Sitka shot and killed a brown bear Friday afternoon after it killed and partially consumed a resident’s dog.
A homeowner on Rudolf Walton Circle notified troopers at around 3:30 p.m. that he suspected his dog had just been killed.
Troopers and Sitka police responded to the area and found the dog’s carcass in the woods behind the home, and a male brown bear nearby.
Brown bears are known to aggressively protect food caches. The troopers subsequently killed the bear, and surrendered its hide, claws and skull to the state.
Rudolf Walton Circle is located in Sitka’s Indian River neighborhood, which is often frequented by bears. Although troopers found no evidence that garbage brought the bear to this particular home, it has been an ongoing problem in the area.
This is the second bear killed in Sitka this summer. On June 14, a resident on Bahovec Court, on the other end of town, shot a bear who was reportedly threatening his dog.
Robert Woolsey is the news director at KCAW in Sitka.
