Fortress of the Bear

Alaska contains approximately 98% of the brown bear population in the United States, with an estimated 30,000 living in the state. Despite the incredible number of brown bears, Alaska has no official bear rehabilitation program for orphaned cubs. Fortress of the Bear Rescue Center near Sitka, AK stepped in to protect these animals, and continues today as a rescue and rehab facility.

About Fortress of the Bear

At Fortress of the Bear, volunteers and employees work together to provide a safe, healthy environment for bears that would have otherwise been killed in the wild. Set against the Tongass National Forest just outside of Sitka, Fortress of the Bear is a non-profit organization, and their facilities house both brown and black bear that have been rescued and rehabbed.

History

Fortress of the Bear is a three-quarter-acre habitat opened in 2007 by Les Kinnear, and it is one of only three facilities in Alaska approved to hold, train, and disburse bears. Although it is illegal to release rehabbed bears into the wild in Alaska, the rescue center opened with a mission of rescuing orphaned brown bear cubs, restoring them to health, and providing a lifetime of safety and enrichment.
With six brown bears and three black bears as permanent residents, the center has plans to expand to serve more orphaned cubs and to work towards their goal of coordinating with the Alaska Fish & Game Department to develop a program for releasing rehabbed bears.

Interesting Facts

At Fortress of the Bear, you can do more than just observe bears in a natural-design habitat—you can learn all about the bears themselves, the mission of the rescue center, and what you can do to help protect and support the goal of rescuing and releasing orphaned bear cubs.

• Fortress of the Bear has sent bears that they have rescued and rehabbed to Bronx Zoo, the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary, and the Montana Grizzly Encounter.
• Only Alaskan coastal brown bears live in Sitka or on the ABC islands of Alaska—there are no native black bear populations.
• All of the bears that currently reside at the center were orphaned at a young age.
• The state of Alaska euthanizes orphaned bear cubs due to state law preventing release of rehabbed bears, but the rescue center is working to save them from this fate.
• Bears at the center are not fed at a regular time to mimic a natural feeding schedule, and live salmon are released into the pools during the salmon run for the bears to catch their dinner.

Visiting Fortress of the Bear

As a not-for-profit organization, the Fortress of the Bear relies solely on donations and admission fees to fund their sanctuary and programs. With naturalists on-staff, visitors can ask questions about the bear residents and conservation, and 30-minute tours are also available to get within 25 feet of the naturalized bear habitat.

Points of Interest

With more than 20,000 visitors every year, Fortress of the Bear is a popular stop for those who want an up-close-and-personal look at the impressive coastal brown bears of Alaska. With an admirable mission to save orphaned bears and a dedication to creating a safe, naturalized habitat, Fortress of the Bear is an educational, hopeful, and exciting place to visit on your trip to Sitka.