Wildlife
RSSWildlife in Alaska is the state's animal populations and the rules, agencies and conflicts that surround them. It covers bear safety, caribou and wolf management, marine mammal protections, and human-wildlife conflicts in places like Anchorage and Kodiak, overseen by state and federal agencies.
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Numbers are stories in the last 30 days.
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Troopers seek tips after moose found near Palmer with only its antlers taken
Alaska Wildlife Troopers are asking for help with what they're calling a poached moose near the Matanuska River in Palmer. Its antlers were taken, and the rest of the carcass was covered with brush and left behind.
Duck hunters came across the carcass Nov. 6 in the woods behind the Kaye Marie Drive and Sky Ranch subdivisions, near an ATV trail, according to a trooper dispatch posted Tuesday. Troopers are treating it as a poached moose. They haven't named a suspect.
Alaska requires hunters to salvage the edible meat from any moose they kill.
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Stories on what’s next
Public Comment Period Closes: North Slope Borough ADL 422835 Siksikpuk River Land Conveyance
State proposes giving North Slope Borough 320 acres in the Brooks Range foothills
The state proposed giving the North Slope Borough 320 acres in the Brooks foothills, a week after proposing it get 583 acres in the Kuparuk oil field.
Copper Basin Fish and Game Advisory Committee Meeting
Alaska won't hold a Nelchina caribou hunt next year, weeks after proposing one
Alaska's new hunt booklet says there will be no state Nelchina caribou hunt next year, weeks after the state proposed reopening one on the growing herd.
Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Bear Management Plan Annual Summary Deadline
Kodiak Assembly to vote on overnight landfill bear hazing and a garbage rate increase
Kodiak Assembly votes Nov 5 on hiring a contractor to haze bears from the landfill overnight. • Assembly also votes on a 5 year trash contract raising rates, commercial bins up 20%. • Comes after state warned borough could be fined over bears getting into the landfill.
Alaska Board of Game Public Comment Period Closes
Three Northwest Alaska advisory committees elect members, weigh caribou cuts
Show up and you can help pick who speaks for your region on caribou, moose and wolf rules before the Board of Game meets in Kotzebue in January.
Written Comment Deadline - Western Arctic and Western Region Game Proposals
Group asks Alaska to close Western Arctic caribou hunting if herd falls to 75,000
A Western Arctic caribou group asks the state to close its hunting season if the herd, counted at 121,000, falls to 75,000. The Board of Game meets in January.
Latest
November 2026
Alaska refuges lost 38% of their field staff, the steepest drop of any region, review finds
Alaska's refuges lost 38% of their field staff in 12 years, the steepest drop of any region, and are down to 11 pilots. Interior wants staff shifted to refuges.
by Alaska News2d ago2 min readFrom 
Prince of Wales wolf trapping season stays at 31 days as estimate dips below state goal
Prince of Wales trappers get their usual 31 days on wolves this winter, though the wolf estimate slipped below the state's new target of 200 to 300.
by Bill AlaskaNews6d ago2 min read
Tribal and federal crews tag about 1,300 fur seal pups on St. Paul and St. George
Tribal and federal crews on St. Paul and St. George tagged about 1,300 fur seal pups in September to track survival, and freed one pup from a rubber gasket.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
Troopers arrest Palmer man on DUI charge after pickup hits moose in Wasilla
Troopers arrested a Palmer man for DUI after his pickup hit a moose on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway bridge Monday.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min read
October 2026
Federal managers close subsistence elk hunt on Afognak refuge lands for the season
Federal managers closed Afognak refuge elk hunting for the rest of 2026 after harvest hit 15% of the Waterfall Lake herd.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Kodiak bear safety group tells trick-or-treaters to finish by 8 pm and carry air horns
Kodiak's bear safety group says finish by 8 pm, bring a flashlight and an air horn, and skip the brush. Some town bears are already out looking for treats.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
NOAA approves marine mammal permit for Petro Marine's Juneau fuel dock rebuild
Petro Marine says maintenance can't keep up with its 1971 Juneau fuel dock. NOAA just approved the noisy pile driving to replace it, seals and all.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago3 min read
Fish and Game and Forest Service to hear public Nov. 2 on Prince of Wales wolf trapping
Fish and Game and the Forest Service want to hear from Prince of Wales residents Nov. 2 before this fall's wolf trapping season. Last year got 31 days.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
More from Wildlife
Subsistence commission pushes a plan for Gates of the Arctic's depleted Dall sheep
Gates of the Arctic's Dall sheep have crashed in places, and the park's subsistence commission has drafted a plan to manage them. It's now out for comment.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago3 min read
North Slope oil rule now covers accidental polar bear deaths the agency doesn't expect
North Slope oil companies can seek five more years of polar bear and walrus coverage, now including an accidental death the government says it doesn't expect.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago4 min read
Y-K Delta hunters face lower white-fronted goose limits as the Pacific population declines
Y-K Delta hunters can now take six white-fronted geese a day, down from 10, as Alaska and three West Coast states try to reverse the birds' decline.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Invasive pike may use Cook Inlet to reach new watersheds, ADF&G biologist says
Pike were thought to avoid salt water, but some appear to have crossed Cook Inlet. A state biologist explains how in Fish and Game's October podcast.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Kodiak waste board passes bear resolution after softening its wording
Kodiak's waste board approved a bear management resolution Sept. 9, softening it from a directive to a recommendation as the landfill stays out of compliance with state rules.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Kodiak Island Borough plans bear hazing at landfill Monday as bear reaches resident's door
A Kodiak resident says a brown bear had its paws on his front door Wednesday night. Fish and Game and troopers plan to haze bears out of the landfill Monday.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
September 2026
Trail camera shows first fawns from deer moved to the southern Kenai Peninsula
A collared doe with two fawns is the first sign that deer moved to the southern Kenai Peninsula are having babies. Hunters, keep waiting: there's no season.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Tok's 40-Mile Air gets $45,000 contract for helicopter flights to track Yukon-Charley wolves
The Park Service is paying a Tok air service $45,000 for on-call helicopter time to keep tabs on Yukon-Charley's wolves. The wolves were not consulted.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Coming up
Shaped by Wildlife: Stories of encounters, harvests, and traditions
Glenn Massay Theater, Palmer, Alaska
Performance
Upper Tanana Fortymile Fish and Game Advisory Committee Meeting
Meeting
Ketchikan Fish and Game Advisory Committee Meeting
Meeting
Copper Basin Fish and Game Advisory Committee Meeting
Meeting
Effective: Alaska; Wildlife, Harvest, and Access
Public notice
About Wildlife
Wildlife in Alaska takes in the state's animal populations and the rules, agencies and conflicts that surround them. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the Board of Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manage species on land and water, along with the National Park Service on its lands.
Recurring subjects include bears drawn to garbage in towns such as Kodiak, caribou and moose harvest limits set by the Board of Game, marine mammals such as Cook Inlet belugas, fur seals and humpback whales, and wildlife disease such as rabies. Encounters with bears near trails and homes, and invasive species such as northern pike, return as well.
Local advisory committees and tribal organizations take part in decisions about hunting rules and subsistence harvests. National wildlife refuges and parks cover much of Alaska, so federal rules on refuge access and research weigh heavily in the state.
More from Wildlife
Board of Game proposals would cut Western Arctic caribou limits further as the herd declines
The Western Arctic Caribou Herd is down to about 121,000. Proposals to cut harvest further go before the Board of Game in Kotzebue, and comments are due Jan. 9.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Hiker injured by bear on Jones Point Trail in Haines
A hiker attacked by a bear on the Jones Point Trail got herself out. It is the second bear attack in Haines in under a month, and both bears are loose.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
A police drone searched south Anchorage for a brown bear before dawn
Anchorage police flew a drone over a south Anchorage neighborhood before dawn looking for a brown bear. Whether they found it is not public.
by Alaska News1mo ago1 min read
Katmai superintendent reports more bear cubs at Brooks Camp than in years
Katmai's superintendent says there are more bear cubs at Brooks Camp than in years, an observation with no published count behind it.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Rabies is climbing among wildlife across the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta
Rabies is rising among Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta wildlife. Foxes come in to den in village landfills in late winter, and rural dogs live outdoors.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Nine new deep-sea sponge species confirmed in Gulf of Alaska and Aleutians
Scientists found nine sponge species new to science off Alaska, one so strange it needed its own genus. Alaska now claims 232 kinds of sponge.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
A third Baranof Island goat zone closes early as the state guards the herd
Baranof Island's Lisa Creek goat zone closes Sept. 13 after two billies filled its quota — the third zone shut down early this year over population worries.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Fish and Wildlife is putting GPS collars on moose in the upper Tanana
Tetlin refuge would like a word with its moose. It is spending $94,542 on GPS collars to learn where they go and how well they are eating.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Koyukon elder ties Galena swallow decline to Air Force mosquito spraying in TCC bird booklet
Elder Benedict Jones links Galena's 89 percent swallow decline since 1970 to Air Force pesticide spraying, documented in a Koyukon bird knowledge booklet published by the Tanana Chiefs Conference.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Kodiak's landfill is out of compliance because bears keep getting in
Kodiak gave every household a bear-resistant cart. Bears keep getting into the landfill anyway, and the borough wants to talk about it privately.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
August 2026
Haines woman seriously injured by bear on Mt. Riley Road
A Haines woman was seriously injured in a bear attack on Mt. Riley Road early Saturday, Aug. 29, after the animal may have been drawn by dumped food waste nearby.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Bear mauls dog walker in Haines, animal not located
A bear attacked a dog walker in Haines early Saturday, striking from behind, but the animal remains unfound despite search efforts by troopers and police.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
New Potter Marsh boardwalk and ice-skating ramp open Saturday
Potter Marsh opens a 200-foot boardwalk, viewing platform, and ADA-accessible ice-skating ramp Saturday, Aug. 29, giving visitors a dedicated alternative to using narrow highway shoulders.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Researchers get $812,016 to study Glacier Bay's iceberg seal habitat
Glacier Bay's harbor seals pup on icebergs. The glacier making those icebergs slowed 45 percent, and researchers got $812,016 to study what that means.
by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago2 min read
Southeast wolf hunters will be asked to leave a little of the animal behind
Southeast wolf hunters will be asked to leave a strip of hide, a bit of muscle, and on Prince of Wales, the foreleg bones. Season opens Sept. 1.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Moose in Gates of the Arctic are up 48 percent, and researchers point to shrubs
Moose in the Gates of the Arctic survey area are up about 48 percent since 2015. Researchers tie the Arctic's moose expansion to taller shrubs.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Park Service urges hard-sided bear containers in the Arrigetch Peaks
A brown bear took food from a soft-sided bear-resistant container in the Arrigetch Peaks on August 13. The Park Service now strongly recommends hard-sided containers, which backpackers can check out at the Bettles Ranger Station.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
NOAA pays $1.57 million for samples from subsistence-harvested seals
NOAA is paying $1.57 million for samples from seals Alaska Native hunters take for food. The science depends on hunters volunteering what they harvested.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
A toxic bloom killed fur seals off St. George with the highest saxitoxin level ever recorded in the species
A toxic bloom killed fur seals off St. George with the highest saxitoxin level ever recorded in the species. Tribal monitors get another year to track it.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Catch a pike in an Anchorage lake and you have to kill it
Catch a northern pike in an Anchorage lake and you have to kill it. They are invasive south of the Alaska Range and they eat salmon and trout.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Woman injured by brown bear sow near Bells Flats in Kodiak
A woman was hurt by a brown bear sow while walking her dog near Bells Flats on Kodiak, but her dog's barking distracted the bear long enough for her to escape.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
A second person has been hurt in an Anchorage otter attack in three weeks
A second Anchorage resident in three weeks has been hurt by a river otter, and Fish and Game is telling paddleboarders and dog walkers to carry bear spray.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
State says Kodiak landfill is out of compliance on bears and borough could be fined
Alaska says Kodiak's landfill violates wildlife rules because bears keep reaching trash, and the borough could face fines for negligently feeding them. A $250,000 fence won't solve it alone.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
ADF&G asks Kenai bull moose hunters for tissue samples within 24 hours of harvest
Alaska Fish and Game wants Kenai bull moose hunters to deliver tissue samples within 24 hours of harvest, a tight window that will force some hunters to cut their field time short.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
