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Sure sign of spring: Black bear and cubs, out of hibernation, move into Alaska’s largest city

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Black bear sow in Anchorage
Courtesy The Associated Press
A black bear sow has taken up residence near the Anchorage airport.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A sure rite of spring for residents of Alaska’s largest city is the return of bears, some with cubs.

One black bear sow has become a celebrity of sorts, making a snow den just a few yards off a busy street near the Anchorage airport. She has two newborn cubs who can be seen on some days frolicking in the snow.

Residents have been stopping by the bear’s den this week, snapping photos from the road and posting them to social media.

Amateur photographer Eleanor Batchelder snapped photos of the mother bear nursing a cub.

Wildlife of all sorts is common in the municipality of Anchorage, where about 300,000 residents share 1,958 square miles (5,071sq. kilometers) of land with up to 350 black bears and up to 65 grizzly bears.

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