US: 'Extremely agitated' black bear shot and killed by Alaska police

A black bear, said to be "extremely agitated", was shot and killed by Alaska police in an East Anchorage neighbourhood on Sunday (July 31) evening. Police said that the bear was charging at people.

The Anchorage Police Department issued a statement warning locals of an agitated black bear in the area.

Police wrote: "Good evening, everyone! We are having Alaska problems. It's a quarter to 10 pm on this finally sunny Sunday evening (7/30/23) and we are currently occupied with an extremely agitated black bear in the neighbourhoods near Baxter and Northern Lights."

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"You will see police in the area. Please use extreme caution if you are going to be outside. It would be a great idea to not leave garage doors and people doors to your home propped open right now," it added.

But later, the police said it arrived at the scene and eventually killed the black bear.

The authorities confirmed it on a Facebook post: "The bear was dispatched last night as it was charging people and causing a public safety risk".

The bear charged a man and his son near a wooded area near a lake, said Dave Battle, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's Anchorage area biologist.

"The bear stopped about 20 yards in front of the people. The man had a gun but did not shoot the bear because it retreated into the woods after the charge," Battle was quoted as saying by the Anchorage Daily News.

Battle said the bear weighed more than 400 pounds and didn't have any sign of prior injuries.

This incident brings Anchorage's tally of bear deaths to 16 so far this year.

According to Battle, the total includes 13 black bears killed by responding agencies and three by citizens who reported defending their lives or property.

He said that the tally so far is "average to high" as last year a total of 14 black bears were killed by agencies and six more were killed by citizens.

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