Alaskan rancher’s cattle falling prey to bears in large numbers

Non-lethal deterrents have been used by Flickinger to scare bears. However, last year he was forced to shoot a bear. Alaskan law does permit bears to be killed if it is the last resort for “defense of your life or property.”

Wyatt Bechtel

Drovers

Alaskan Rancher Claims to Have Lost 30 Cattle from Kodiak Bear Attacks

Kodiak bears have killed an estimated 30 cattle on one rancher’s property on Alaska’s Kodiak Island.

A rancher on Kodiak Island in Alaska says that bears have killed at least 30 cattle this year from his cow-calf herd.

Rancher Chris Flickinger tells the Kodiak Daily Mirror that bear activity has picked up on the local roads and he is finding more garbage spread out and broken fences. Cattle losses on Flickinger’s ranch are higher than normal with bears killing a cow, a bull and two calves in just the past two weeks. The most recent cattle deaths occurred near Pasagshak, on the eastern edge of the island. 

“It’s hugely significant,” Flickinger says. “It’s definitely a pretty big loss.”

Flickinger values his bulls at $1,500 and that some cows are worth up to $2,000. He estimates that approximately 30 cattle have been killed by bears so far this year.

Non-lethal deterrents have been used by Flickinger to scare bears. However, last year he was forced to shoot a bear. Alaskan law does permit bears to be killed if it is the last resort for “defense of your life or property.”

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