Tag: Alaska

Alaska brothers’ fight ends badly for both men, and a pet crocodile

They were arrested after tossing each other’s toothy reptile from an apartment window. An alligator was rescued, but the croc is missing.

Two adult brothers were charged with animal cruelty last week in Alaska after getting into a quarrel and tossing each other’s pet reptile from an apartment window into the snow.

According to the Anchorage Daily News, the pets were an 18-inch alligator and 24-inch crocodile. The alligator was rescued but the crocodile was not recovered and is presumed dead.

While some might consider the men’s actions an odd way to settle their differences, some might also wonder if it’s legal to own alligators and crocodiles in Alaska.

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, it is legal to keep both species, just as it’s legal to keep snakes and lizards as pets.

However, releasing exotic pets into the wild, where they must try to fend for themselves, is illegal and could pose threats to native species. (Presumably, tossing an animal from a window and failing to retrieve it is a form of illegal release.)

Alligators and crocodiles prefer tropical climates and could not survive in the Alaska wilderness, especially during the winter.

Both men are in their early 30s and the incident occurred outside Wasilla.

Stranded fin whale becomes ‘icy monument’ outside Anchorage

The frozen carcass of the 47-foot fin whale has become a major attraction since the mammal washed ashore last weekend.

A 47-foot fin whale that washed ashore near downtown Anchorage last weekend has become what one naturalist described as an ‘icy monument.”

Emma Luck, an Alaska-based researcher and naturalist, shared several images of the frozen whale carcass via Instagram on Saturday, along with the description:

“Whale strandings are not unusual in Alaska—but fin whales are rare in upper Cook Inlet, and winter strandings of any baleen whales in this region are also uncommon.

“When I heard this beautiful whale had been found, I was intrigued—how unusual! But I did not give it much thought beyond that. The tide would take her way soon.

“It did not. Instead, she froze solid. She has become an icy monument near downtown Anchorage, and the city residents have made the trek out to the frozen mud flats to view her, myself included.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/DCufguVSibU/?img_index=3

On Friday, the Anchorage Daily News reported that scientists did not know how the young female whale died, but skin samples and organs have been collected.

It was unclear how long the carcass will remain on the tidal flats, within view of downtown.

“In the meantime, the carcass has become a local attraction, drawing hundreds of people a day to the frosty mudflats,” the Daily News reported. “Social media has been filled with posts about the rare, unique, moving experience of a school bus-sized creature washed up so close to town that it can be touched and photographed.”

Barbara Mahoney, a NOAA biologist, told the Daily News that, for now, no attempts will be made to move the carcass. “We’re going to leave it to nature,” she said.

Luck continued: “Some people may look at the photos of the crowds by the whale and find it unbecoming. I can understand why, though I don’t necessarily view it that way. We may live in Alaska, but very few of us will have ever seen a fin whale (or any whale at all!) up close and personal.

“Indeed, even I have not seen a stranded whale like this before! Many people brought along their young children to see the whale, answering all of their questions, explaining how whales work, and pointing out what the different body parts do. A classroom of sorts.

“I have no doubt one of these kids will likely walk away and become a biologist because of this experience.”

Notre Dame sophomore forward named Big Ten First Star of the Week

Congrats, Cole!

With the 2024-25 season barely underway for the Notre Dame hockey team, a prestigious honor already has been awarded. Specifically, the award has been given to sophomore forward [autotag]Cole Knuble[/autotag], the son of former NHL player Mike Knuble.

The Big Ten has announced its second Three Stars of the Week for the season, and Knuble has been named the First Star. He earned the honor after picking up four points, including three goals, over the Irish’s first two regular-season games against St. Lawrence and Clarkson.

Joining Knuble this week are Second Star Connor Kurth of Minnesota and Third Star Charlie Stramel of Michigan State.

Through two games, Knuble’s four points have tied him for the Irish lead in scoring. Also with that total is senior forward [autotag]Justin Janicke[/autotag], who picked up three of his four points on assists. Nobody on the team besides those two has more than two points so far:

The Irish will open their home schedule with games Saturday and Sunday against Alaska.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Notre Dame hockey names four captains for 2024-25 season

Did your favorite player make the list?

With the Notre Dame hockey team’s season about to get underway, the time had come for [autotag]Jeff Jackson[/autotag] to name his captains. Jackson, who will retire after this season, has unveiled the names of four players who have received captaincy honors. All four captains are forwards.

[autotag]Ian Murphy[/autotag], who was Princeton’s captain last season, his fourth and final year with the program, is a captain once again. It speaks volumes that he already has made that big of an impact on the program.

[autotag]Grant Silianoff[/autotag] is in his fifth season with the Irish. An injury cut last year short for him, so he obviously is hoping this year will have a happier ending.

[autotag]Tyler Carpenter[/autotag] is coming off a 33-game campaign. Although he scored only five goals, his .143 shooting percentage was third on the team.

[autotag]Justin Jacnicke[/autotag] played in all 36 games last season. Twelve of his 16 points came from assists.

https://twitter.com/NDHockey/status/1844384155855208841

The Irish open their season Friday at St. Lawrence. That will be followed by a Saturday contest at Clarkson. Their first two home contests will come Oct. 18 and 19 against Alaska.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Grizzly bear cub appears to dance while getting its scratch on

Footage from Alberta, Canada, shows a large grizzly bear cub breaking out all the moves while enjoying a good scratch.

Alaska’s Denali National Park on Sunday shared footage showing a grizzly bear “satisfying its itch” by rubbing its back against the bottom of a campground sign.

“While amusing, this video serves as a reminder that the Park is home to many bears and other animals that may be encountered on or near roads and in other front-country areas,” Denali stated via Instagram. “As you travel in the park this shoulder season, enjoy wildlife from a safe distance.”

The clip is reminiscent of footage captured in 2022 by a trail camera operated in Alberta, Canada, by the Help Alberta Wildies Society, which studies wild horses.

The accompanying Alberta clip is a classic because the large grizzly bear cub stands on its hind legs and appears to dance while rubbing against a tree.

It’s made more entertaining by music that transforms from suspenseful to fun and lively once the scratching begins. Click here to view the footage if a video player does not appear below.

https://www.facebook.com/HelpAlbertaWildiesSociety/videos/742508471239072

 

As Fat Bear Week nears, Chunk shows why this could be his year

Footage shows the massive brown bear struggling “to haul his large caboose up a hill” as fans get ready to vote for their favorite bruins.

In case anyone wonders if the brown bears of Alaska’s Katmai National Park are ready for Fat Bear Week, check out the footage posted below.

It shows 32 Chunk, arguably the fattest bear never to have been named Fat Bear Week champion, struggling “to haul his large caboose up a hill,” according to Explore.org.

Explore.org, with support from Katmai National Park, maintains live webcams on the Brooks River and at Brooks Falls.

Viewers can watch the bears gorging on salmon each summer and fall as they build fat reserves necessary to get them through the winter hibernation season. (Click here if you don’t see a video player.)

https://www.instagram.com/p/C_5nX1wpz99/

Fat Bear Week, a celebration of the bears’ fishing success, is a fan-supported competition head each October. This year’s contest is Oct. 2-8.

While Chunk has never been voted winner of the bracket-style competition, he finished runner-up last year to Grazer.

Grazer, a 19-year-old female bear with “conspicuously blond ears,” was the obvious fan favorite, defeating Chunk in the final bracket by a 2-1 margin after nearly 1.3 million votes were cast.

Expect the hype for this year’s competition to ramp up soon.

Famous brown bear ‘Chunk’ given the slip during courtship attempt

Footage shows the female bear taking an extreme measure to avoid contact with the larger bear at Brooks Falls in Alaska.

A bear-cam in Alaska’s Katmai National Park on Monday captured an amusing scene involving a brown bear named Chunk putting the moves on a female bear.

But it turned out that the female bear, apparently not wanting anything to do with Chunk, had the slickest move.

Stated Explore.org, which shared the accompanying footage: “When you’d rather fall down a waterfall than be courted by Chunk.”

The footage showing the bear giving Chunk the slip – intentionally or otherwise – has garnered several responses pertaining to Chunk.

“Chunk is kind of like Leisure Suit Larry – the ladies want no part of him,” reads a top comment on Explore’s Instagram post.

A comment on Twitter: “Poor Chunk, he’s truly lovable really.”

The footage was captured at Brooks Falls, where the most dominant bears in Katmai National Park are foraging on salmon and competing for prime fishing spots.

Chunk, a large adult with numerous facial scars, is a fixture at Brooks Falls and a perennial Fat Bear Week candidate.

Fat Bear Week, conducted annually each October, is a bracket-style, fan-driven competition that celebrates the bears’ success in fattening up sufficiently to survive during hibernation.

Chunk, however, has never been named Fat Bear Week Champion.

Some might say it’s not easy being Chunk.

Watch: Famous ‘Shower Bear’ in top salmon-catching form again

The brown bears of Alaska’s Katmai National Park are fresh out of hibernation and resuming their creative fishing techniques at Brooks Falls.

The famous brown bears of Alaska’s Katmai National Park are fresh out of hibernation and resuming their creative salmon-catching techniques at Brooks Falls.

The accompanying footage shows Bear No. 164, a.k.a. Bucky Dent, fishing successfully at one of his favorite spots, known as the Shower.

“Sometimes your best ideas happen in the shower,” Explore.org joked Sunday via X.

Explore.org and the National Park Service maintain live cameras on the Brooks River throughout the summer salmon run on the Brooks River. The bears typically begin to appear in late June and stay well into fall.

Each season culminates in Fat Bear Week, a fan-driven competition held as a celebration of the bears’ success in fattening up sufficiently for the winter hibernation season.

Bucky Dent, named because of a vertical indentation in his muzzle, has not claimed a Fat Bear Week title, but he remains among the more popular bears featured on the cameras.

Large moose charges past anglers in awesome display of power

For one charter group in Alaska this week, fishing took a back seat to moose watching as the towering mammal seemed ‘on a mission’ to get past the boat.

The giant moose probably spooked the salmon as it charged past anglers on Alaska’s Kenai River this week, but they seemed too impressed by the animal to care.

The accompanying footage, shared Friday by Kenai River and Company, shows the moose in the river eyeing the boat’s occupants before rising to sprint past them to access the woods.

“It’s … on a mission,” the guide says as the moose reaches its exit point. “That’s a good look.”

The company added in the comments: “Quite a lot of power that these animals have! Thanks for the show #bullwinkle.”

Another guide service chimed in: “That’s awesome you caught that on camera! We were watching that show from downstream. Thought he was gonna swamp ya.”

A genuine concern as an adult male moose in Alaska can weigh 1,600 pounds and stand nearly 6 feet tall, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Moose sightings aren’t rare in Alaska, which boasts a population of perhaps 200,000 animals. But it’s certainly rare to observe a large moose churning water in a sprint just yards from your vantage point.

Moose attack in Alaska kills man, prompting investigation

Troopers say the moose charged two men in Homer, kicking one of them. It was not clear what prompted the attack.

A cow moose attacked and killed a man Sunday in Homer, Alaska, sparking an investigation by state agencies.

The Alaska State Troopers explained in a news dispatch that the moose charged two men, kicking one of them.

“Medics arrived on the scene and declared the victim deceased,” the dispatch reads, adding that the moose “has left the area.”

It was not clear why the moose charged the men. The animals generally do not attack people unless they feel threatened or are being harassed by people or their dogs – or if they’re protecting their young.

From the Alaska Department of Fish and Game:

“While moose are generally perceived to be less dangerous than bears, more people in Alaska are injured by moose than by bears each year.

“Moose will usually flee when threatened but under certain circumstances, they can become aggressive. People can be hurt when moose charge, stomp and kick to protect themselves or their young.”

Moose are the largest members of the deer family. Cow moose in Alaska can weigh as much as 800 pounds, while bull moose can be twice that size.

–Moose image courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service