Douglas Island news., 1921-04-29
FILLS OF BEARS
 OF TERRITORY
Chief of the Bureau of Biological Survey Gives Opinion on
 Great Question

An interesting article on Che game Of Alaska is contributed to Che Bulletin Of Che American Game Pro- tecuve Association" by Dr. E. w.
 Nelson. chief Of Che Bureau of Bio logical Survey who made a trip through Che North last year, making Q survey Of game conditions
 Dr. Nelson takes a very friendly view Of many Of the questions that have caused SO much controversy be- tween Eastern game conservationists and Che people of Che Territory.
 He has Che following to say about Che brown and grizzly bears.
 The large brown and grizzly bears Of Alaska intcrgrade, and varl- ous representatives of the two types. sometimes In Che same area. are SO alike in color that no one can dis uuguish them in life even at very short range. The brown bears as a group are mainly on Che islands and .n Che coastal region of Southern and Southeastern Alaska. but inhabit Che interior northward 1t least to thc slopes Of Che Alaskan range. The grizzlies share most Of the range Of the brown bears and extend thence northward throughout @ large part of ihc Territory, including Seward Peninsula. and beyond the Arctic Circle Into the Endicott mountains. even reaching the Arctic coast near the international boundary. They apepar Co be absent. however. from Che Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak isl- and.
 The controversy which for several years has ragged over the Alaska brown bears renders then a subject to be approached with caution. Dur ing my recent visit Co Alaska ! was much Interested iu the views con- corning these animals held by many miners. trappers and others, most Of whom have lived for years in diher- ont parts Of Che Territory occupied bythom. Considerable bitterness was expressed by an against any legal protection for tho big bears. owing to their dangerous habits under cer- tain conditions and Go their destruc- lion of supplies in camps. While accounts Of people injured by them and of camps destroyed are not very numerous each year. they make up a considerable total and are Of character to convince any unbiased observer that people living In thc haunts of Che bears have reason for being prcjudiced against them
 In this connection it should be un- dorstood that In the great majority Of instances when big brown or griz- zly bears are encountered i'm Alaska they flee from Che presence and even from Che scent of man. They are rapidly learning that man is dan- gorous and in many districts hunt CTS are fndIudg that it requires more skin to get them. 40 the same time, tho uudcniable fact that these great beasts do. on occasion. attack men has deeply impressed the Alaskan public with a somewhat exaggerated idea of their ferocity.
 Interesting side lights on the psychology of these bears and their habits were developed by my talk with Che men most familiar with them. One conclusion was that the Alaskan brown or grizzly bears rarely attack anyone without some proyocauon. from the point or view of Che bear. One cause for attacks is for a traveller suddenly Co ercoun- Ger an old female with her cub. In such ease Che mother appears to consider that Che cub is in danger and attacks Che intruder. usually knocking him down by a blow with one paw and then biting him. An- other cause for assaults on people is for a man to pass near a place where bear is guarding the carcass Of a moose or other game animal
 10 appears Go be one Of the habits of thIs bear. when it kills a biz game animal or discovers its body. to eat as much os it desires and then cover the remainder with grass and other trash easiIy accessible. after this Che bear lies down. sometimes beside the carcass and sometimes even on top of Che trash pile over the animal. and sleeps until hunger calls for another meal A human intruder coming upon a bear in this situation may be attacked. These two types Of ofcn- sive on Che part Of the bears were re- ported SO often that it became ob- wous that tbe majority Of attacks made by them on men came from one