Warm weather, food keeping southcentral Alaska bears awake

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Warm temperatures and an abundance of food are keeping bears out of their dens in southcentral Alaska.

KTVA-television reports the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is warning people to be aware of bears that have not begun to hibernate.

Anchorage area biologist Dave Battle says the department has received regular reports of sightings of both brown and black bears.

Battle says most black bears enter dens by October. He says brown bears are sometimes still up in November.

Battle says denning is a response to both cold weather and food availability but it’s not cold enough and bears still have food available.

Battle says bears are trying to pack in every calorie they can.

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Information from: KTVA-TV, http://www.ktva.com