Mysterious Brown Bear Appearance and Southeast Bear Research

By Riley Woodford

When a brown bear appeared on Douglas Island in the spring of 2017, bear biologist Anthony Crupi was well prepared to investigate its origin. Douglas is home to black bears, but brown bears are almost unheard of. In 1974 a hunter took a brown bear on Fish Creek, the only other documentation of a brown bear on the island.

Douglas Island is adjacent to mainland Juneau in northern Southeast Alaska, barely separated at the narrowest region by a tidal wetland. Crupi lives on the island and works there in the town of Douglas at the Southeast regional office of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

The 2017 bear was shot in the early morning hours by a concerned homeowner in a defense of life and property (DLP) incident in the spring. Fish and Game biologists noted on the scene that the bear’s hide was particularly dark. By law, the skull and hide were turned in to Fish and Game. Tom Schumacher and Paul Converse and conducted the sealing. The skull was large, measuring 25 ¼ inches, and the bear weighed about 700 pounds.

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