Authorities are investigating the possible illegal shooting of a tagged brown bear sow killed near 33 Mile Haines Highway last month, its collar found cut from the animal and buried along the Chilkat River.
The sow was part of Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s five-year research study in which 21 bears in the Chilkat Valley and Skagway were outfitted with GPS collars to collect data for management practices.
Fish and Game biologist Anthony Crupi recovered the collar after receiving a “mortality signal” from lack of movement.
Crupi said the collar appeared “very obviously” cut off-there is a clean slice through the leather-and assumes the bear was killed by a person.
Although the collar was found, neither the sow-nor her two yearling cubs-have been seen since May, according to state trooper spokesperson Ken Marsh.
“Wildlife troopers believe the sow, which had been accompanied by two yearling cubs, was a local “problem” animal known for getting into unsecured trash; improper storage of trash and other human provided food sources contributed to the animals’ behavior,” Marsh said.
The accounts were corroborated by Fish and Game wildlife biologist Carl Koch.
“I did get a couple of complaints from folks about a collared sow with cubs that had gotten into things like trash,” Koch said.
It is illegal to shoot a mother bear regardless of season, except in “defense of life or property,” according to Alaska Statute.
The law does not consider unsecured trash a defensible reason to kill a bear.
“One reason why somebody might not report would be if they thought what they did was illegal,” Koch said.
Wildlife trooper Wallace Kirksey is investigating the possible shooting, according to Marsh. Kirksey did not respond to requests for comment by press time.
Three collared bears have been killed since August, Crupi said. A five-year-old male was illegally shot in later November (It was left to die from a bullet wound 12 days later), and a subadult female was legally hunted in the fall. There was no charge for the illegal shooting.
Crupi said the loss of collared bears will negatively affect Fish and Game’s study.
“Collaring studies teach us a wealth of information about legal and illegal harvest that would not otherwise be known,” he said. “Ultimately, management decisions will be based upon harvest rates and mortality levels. Wanton waste of the resource will negatively affect population growth and survival.”