Anchorage Residents' Opinions on Bear and Moose Population Levels and Management Strategies

Concerning wildlife values and knowledge of wildlife:

• 92% of residents say that wildlife is an important part of their community and 86% say that wildlife encounters make life in the area more interesting and special.
• Residents are somewhat tolerant to black bears (61%, 35% prefer they were not there), but less so of brown bears (48% tolerant, 48% prefer they were not there).
• 87% of residents say that encounters with moose make life more interesting and special, with tolerance particularly high (94%) for this animal.
• Residents claim to know a great deal or moderate amount about black bears (71%) and brown bears (66%).
• Information about wildlife among residents comes from newspapers (30%), television (25%), internet (20%), personal experience (20%), books (15%), and word of mouth (15%).
  

Opinions on the amount of wildlife in Anchorage area:

• The majority of residents would like the populations of black bears (58%), brown bears (56%), and moose (63%) to remain the same, though some would prefer a decrease in the population of black bears (28%), brown bears (31%), and moose (24%).
• 61% of residents never see black bears and 60% say they never want to see them.
• 85% of residents never see brown bears and 79% say they never want to see them. Of those who do see them a few times a year, 40% say the would like to never see them.
  

Negative interactions and damage caused by wildlife:

• About 1 in 20 residents report having problems with either brown or black bears.
• 88% of residents agree that most of these problems can be prevented with a few simple precautions.
  

Opinions on wildlife management:

• The majority of residents oppose having wildlife authorities destroy black bears (54%), brown bears (53%), or moose (63%) to reduce the population.
• There are some situations, however, where residents would support killing specific bears, for example where a bear poses a threat to human safety (83%) or where bears cause property damage (53%). More oppose killing bears that get into garbage (48%), or that are seen frequently in neighborhoods (56%).
• 68% oppose reducing the moose population as a food source to reduce the number of brown bears.