A man was sleeping in his camper near Seward on Sunday with the door open.
Then, a black bear walked in, said an online report from Alaska State Troopers.
Troopers got called about the bear intruder around 9:15 a.m. Sunday — July Fourth, and the middle of a busy holiday weekend for the campgrounds around Seward.
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The man told troopers that the bear scratched his leg and tried to bite it. His camper was in a small parking lot near Fourth of July Beach, across Resurrection Bay from downtown Seward.
The man said he was able to scare the bear off, and it wandered back into the woods. He had minor injuries from the encounter.
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Later that day, wildlife troopers got more reports of a black bear in the same area.
The bear was “raiding camps, bluff charging campers, and showing no fear of people,” according to troopers.
Troopers responded to the beach and watched the bear walking toward campers.
They said the bear was a public safety risk, and they killed it. Its hide and skull will be turned in to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, said troopers.
Earlier this summer near Seward, wildlife officials killed two other aggressive black bears: One in May at Tonsina Creek and another in June near Exit Glacier.
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Reach reporter Tegan Hanlon at thanlon@alaskapublic.org or 907-550-8447.
Tegan Hanlon is the digital managing editor at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at thanlon@alaskapublic.org or 907-550-8447. Read more about Tegan here.
