Men charged with getting too close to bears in Alaska park

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — U.S. prosecutors have charged three men with a leaving special viewing platform and getting too close to bears in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve.

The U.S. attorney’s office filed charges this week in the August 2018 incident. Spokesperson Lisa Houghton said the office doesn’t discuss the timing of cases.

“Every case is unique, and it takes varying amounts of time to bring forth criminal charges,” she said by email.

The remote park on the northern Alaska Peninsula protects some of the highest densities of bears in the world and requires visitors to abide by special rules.

Mature male brown bears at Katmai can weigh up to 900 pounds (408 kilograms), the park says.

The charges allege the men entered a closed area of the park by leaving an authorized viewing area and wading into the Brooks River when bears were feeding on salmon in the nearby falls.

The U.S. attorney’s office says two of the men are from Alaska and one is from New Mexico. An online court records system did not show attorneys for the men who could comment on their behalf.