Monday, June 3, 2013

Sitka's Fortress of the Bear


On our island, Prince of Wales, we see bear most days.  Our bear are the cute, cuddly Black Bear that weigh out around 300 lb.  They have claws, teeth, and have been known to eat meat but generally they are exciting to see.   On Baranof Island however they have the largest of all bear species, the Brown bear.

Browns have been recorded at 1500 lbs and standing 10 foot tall and they eat a lot of meat!



Two brothers near Sitka became fascinated by the bear and horrified that the DNR were shooting nuisance bear so they remodeled an old pulp mill water tanks and opened the Fortress to save orphaned cubs.
The bears have 3/4 of an acre while the viewers are crowded on a small platform.  The bear go about their typical days.



Looking mean when they scent people.



Fishing for lunch.



Hiking the trail.


Playing at the pool.


Having a siesta.


Brown Bear are a more aggressive species.  These two brothers are part of a set of triplets however and were just rough housing.


The Fortress was established to save bear not to train them.  This guy did have a trick...


for a treat.

They left us with these few words of wisdom:













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