Anchorage Bears Story Map

During the summers of 2012 and 2013, Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists tracked nine Anchorage bears (six black bears and three brown bears) using GPS collars that included a video camera. The resulting footage, combined with the location data, has provided some amazing insights into the daily lives of urban bears.

This project is a collaborative effort between research, management and education staff and has helped us better understand the habits of Anchorage’s urban bears. The data will help guide our urban bear management efforts as well as educate the public about bears.

We are sharing some of the data from the Anchorage Urban Bear Camera Collar Project through a story map about Anchorage bears. You can explore location data and video from the project by clicking on the map image below. Anchorage contains some areas of excellent bear habitat. Our urban bears find a variety of natural foods to eat, including berries, fish and vegetation. Unfortunately, however, Anchorage’s bears also have easy access to human sources of food including garbage, birdseed, pet food and livestock, which can lead to conflicts with humans.