Hard to imagine but Alaska doesn’t have any laws on the books to protect bears with rehabilitation programs. “Bullets are cheaper” I was told by the Fortress of the Bear staff member when I asked why the bears needed to be rescued. She told me a story of a hotel owner who was luring bears into town so his hotel guests could “spot” bears on their trip. I was disgusted, but when the mama bear was trapped looking for food she was shot and killed as an act of self-defense (legal). The Alaska Department of Fish & Game would then normally kill (euthanize) the cubs who can’t survive without their mother. But in 2007, the Fortress of the Bear was born in Sitka, Alaska to rescue and rehab bear cubs. Now the Department of Fish & Game works with the Fortress of the Bear rescue in the hopes of someday releasing the bears back into the wild. For now, the Fortress of the Bear has a few permanent residents while others get rehabbed and relocated to zoos and other rescues across the United States.
When I think of Alaska, bears come to mind. So while seeing a bear in his/her natural habitat (which I did on an Alaska nature cruise, one of many Alaska cruise ship tours), I also thought it important to see the wonderful work being done in Sitka by the non-profit group at the Fortress of the Bear. While I’m not keen on zoos and other captive environments, I do understand their need to exist after my African safari adventure. Many young animals often cannot survive in the wild or go back to the wild after certain incidents. So rescues and zoos (for the most part) play a key role in saving the animals but I still grapple with that.
I booked a cruise tour through the ship (Holland America Eurodam) to visit the Fortress of the Bear but you can easily get there by local cab, shuttle, and city bus or with a local tour group. As Sitka isn’t easily accessible and only a few cruise ships call in port during the season, the Fortress of the Bear sees about 20,000 visitors each year. They rely on donations and visitors admission fees.
Visiting the Fortress of the Bear
I didn’t know what to expect – cages, free roaming areas, etc. so I was happily surprised when I walked up the stairs to the viewing platform to see two enclosures that were repurposed silos (they are waiting to expand to a third nearby) with eight bears wandering about (sadly since my visit, one bear has passed). The large silos have water areas, grass, tree branches and play items like tires and such.
Watching the bears play in the water, with their food balls and with each other was quite magic. I laughed at their mischief and playfulness and then was sad that they could have been killed for pennies by bullets rather than rescued and taken care of by the founder and his staff. The bears are gorgeous animals both in nature and in the rescue.
Fortress of the Bear – Resident Brown & Black Bears
The website has more information about their resident group of siblings – the signs at the site told a bit more about each resident bear.
Family #1 –
Toby
Toby is the lone female and sadly Alaska does have a law about captive breeding so she will never be a mother. She has learned to sign and asks for more food regularly (she does like food)
Balloo
(sadly since my visit he developed a spinal injury and was euthanized last winter)
Lucky
Family #2 –
Killisnoo & brother Chaik
Family #3 – The Black Bears
Smokey & Tuliann
Bandit (unrelated)
How You Can Help Support The Fortress of the Bear
The Fortress of the Bear does rehab bears when they can and then sends them to a zoo or other rescue facility. Local fish processing plants supply fish and local vendors supply produce so the bears eat quite well. As a non-profit solely relying on donations and visitors and no government monies, here’s how you can help from near (and far).
- Visit the Fortress of the Bear when you visit Sitka, Alaska on your cruise
- Buy Merchandise from the Fortress of the Bear online store
- Make a charitable donation to the Fortress of the Bear in Sitka, Alaska
- Shop Amazon via Amazon Smiles (link from for the Fortress of the Bear website)
- Like & Follow The Fortress of the Bear Facebook Page
Final Thoughts at The Fortress of the Bear
After my visit to the Fortress of the Bear, I went back to the ship and watched Disney’s “Bears” Documentary and was even more impressed by the trials of the bear – it’s not an easy life (and not an easy movie as the suspense will drive you crazy). At the Fortress of the Bear, it’s made a bit easier but it doesn’t take away the fact that a mama bear died ingesting plastic or another died by gunfire in search of food which are man-made hazards. The volunteers and staff at The Fortress of the Bear are doing good work to save the bears in Alaska.
Alaska is home to the bears and if you are lucky to visit Sitka on an Alaskan cruise, do make time to visit the Fortress of the Bear to help them continue the good works and let’s pray for a time when no one says “bullets are cheaper”.
