Bear Attack: Rover's Run Trail Open; State and City Disagree

However, State Fish and Game officials also say they can't close trails within city parks, such as the Far North Bicentennial Park, where Rover's Run trail is located. Rick Sinnott is a biologist for the State and says the Department of Fish and Game doesn't have jurisdiction in those areas, so all he can do is just make recommendation like anybody else.

Instead, the municipality has the final call on whether to close the trail, and in this case, leaders have chosen to keep Rover's Run trail open. Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan says he doesn't think it's particularly necessary, nor does the city have the ability, to enforce the closing. Sullivan says there is no one to patrol the area and citations are not given for trail users found in a closed area.

He goes on to say that it really becomes a common sense issue for the public when choosing to go to an area identified as having a potential danger there.

But, Fish and Game officials say it is prudent in a case like this to close the trail for at least a little while to prevent like incidences from happening again in the next day or two.

Sinnott says he can't imagine any other governmental jurisdiction in the world that wouldn't close a trail if some one were mauled on it and it just seems like a pretty extraordinary action on the city's part.

Wildlife experts say the bear that mauled pediatric pharmacist Sean Berkey, acted defensively to protect her cub when Berkey's fast moving bike surprised her. Sinnott says that the bear is not aggressive, it's defensive. He says if the bear was following people and attacking everyone willy nilly, then that would be aggressive.

Sinnott adds that's why the mauling ended when Berkey played dead. Most officials agree the bear responded normally and that's why a significant threat doesn't exist right now along Rover's Run trail, but as to why there's a concentration of bears in that area during the summer, there's conflicting ideas.

Wildlife officials say the bears need to come down to the low lands where the salmon are spawning to fish every summer. But Mayor Sullivan says that people are doing things that might be encouraging that population to come in to town and part of that is the rehabilitation of salmon streams.

Either way, both officials agree that people should exercise caution while spending time in the Rover's Run trail area this time of year.

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