In one of the top destinations to spot brown bears in the wild, a new bridge will make getting a glimpse of the incredible animals safer for bears and people.
Bear 94 and cubs sit near railing from the old viewing platform. Image by NPS Photo/Russ Taylor
Katmai National Park in Alaska, which is home to about 2200 brown bears, is building a new permanent bridge, along with elevated approach boardwalks, to replace an existing floating bridge over Brooks River. As bears congregate there each summer to feed on the sockeye salmon that live in the water, it is known as a good spot to view the animals. However, the current bridge often saw bears feeding or resting there, stopping visitors from being able to cross.
According to the national park, this “can result in undesirable bear-human interactions and delays for visitors crossing the bridge.” While work began last year, the project is expected to be complete at the end of May, according to Peter Christian, a spokesperson for the Alaska region of the National Parks Service. That means it will be ready in time for this season of viewing bears.
A brown bear is waiting to catch salmons at Brooks Falls, Katmai National Park, Alaska. Image by ©Naphat Photography/Getty Images
“We are allowing for visitors to have a unique, once in a lifetime experience with wild brown bears, while protecting the bears themselves from negative interactions with people,” explained Christian.
If you aren’t able to travel to Alaska this summer, the park also runs a popular “bear cam” at explore.org, where people can watch from home. The park also runs a yearly “fat bear contest”, that allows the public to rank their favorite chubby bears as they gain weight to prepare for the winter season.
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