Conservation officers review base bear policy after incident

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jack Sanders
  • 3rd Wing Public Affairs
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Due to recent events on Elmendorf Air Force Base, the 3rd Civil Engineer Squadron's Natural Resource Conservation Agency is making some changes to their bear safety briefings and information for regarding human interaction with black bear on and around Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

Four girls, ages 5-9, encountered a black bear at Moose Crossing housing off Campos Drive on June 4. According to reports three of the children played dead when the black bear approached them.

"The thing to remember is that playing dead is only advised in a defensive attack, which with black bears is extremely rare," said Mr. Herman Griese, 3rd Wing Wildlife Biologist.

"The individuals that had the confrontation with the black bear are to be commended for remembering part of the message," said. Mr. Griese.

One of the children involved in the encounter tried yelling at the bear, but with little effect. She left the park in order to find an adult.

"In a best case scenario trying to make yourself as large as possible and loud will most often deter black bears," said Mr. Griese.

The bear investigated the three children lying on the ground and then stepped on and bit one softly once, producing a set of puncture wounds as well as a scratch with bruising. The bear stayed in the area even after an adult came to retrieve the girls the girls and send them to the nearest house. The adult also yelled at the bear, which did not react. The bear even followed the adult into the street. It finally wandered into the woods but not until photos were taken by one of the parents.

"I've had talks with my daughter every year about wildlife safety based off of the wildlife briefings I've gotten," said Master Sgt. David Miller, 732nd Air Mobility Squadron.and father to one of the girls involved in the incident.

This is the first know bear incident on Elmendorf. A similar incident occurred near the Eagle River Nature Center in the early 1980s when a hiker played dead when a black bear approached. The bear also first sniffed the individual before biting the individual hard enough that he screamed, frightening the bear away.

"Military members on the base are living in a shared environment with the wildlife around them," said Mr. Griese. "The prevalence of potential interaction with dangerous wildlife on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson requires an extensive education program, and we have learned from this incident that we need to provide more clarity when describing the best reaction to black bear."

The policy is currently under review and will be updated soon.

"It's important for parents to talk to their kids about the dangers of wildlife and safety," said Sergeant Miller. "My daughter and her friends were just a few yards away from our house so, it's not like they were on the other side of the base in the woods ... it could happen to anyone."