In South Anchorage, a brown bear sow and her two nearly grown cubs have been seeking unnatural prey and causing thousands of dollars damage in the process. Homeowners in neighborhoods stretching from Lake Otis to Hillside and O’Malley to DeArmoun are growing uneasy as this bear family has developed a taste for an unconventional snack: backyard chickens and the occasional turkey. While she’s also sticking to her natural diet—evidenced by two moose calves killed near Elmore and Huffman this past Friday—her nightly raids on chicken coops have residents on edge.

Reports on social media and apps like Ring and Nextdoor document her successfully slaughtering chickens from over half a dozen coops in the past two weeks. Attempted break ins, featured in the video shown above, have also been numerous. The cubs, now old enough to join their mother’s escapades, only add to the concern. A bear with mature cubs isn’t just a curious visitor—she’s a formidable presence.

This isn’t the first time a bear has caused a stir in Anchorage. Back in 2019, a brown bear in a nearby Hillside neighborhood was shot by Fish and Game after it tried to break into a chicken pen and showed no fear of humans. That bear’s behavior mirrors what residents are seeing now: a determined animal drawn to easy meals. But unlike that case, Fish and Game has shared no immediate plans to relocate or remove this sow and her cubs. The agency’s stance is that the bears are behaving naturally, even if their choice of food isn’t. The nightly chicken coop raids don’t yet meet Fish and Game’s threshold for intervention. Instead, they are asking livestock owners to step up their bear deterrents and consider installing an electric fence.

Contrast that with a recent incident downtown, where a young black bear took a sunny-day stroll near the federal courthouse on June 12. Weighing only about 100 pounds, the bear was quickly darted and whisked away to “the big wild yonder” north of the city, according to Fish and Game. The response was swift. That instance has some homeowners who have reported this problematic bear family asking why the South Anchorage bears aren’t getting the same treatment.

For the backyard chicken community, the situation calls for some tough choices. While electric fences are proven to work, they are not mandated under the law. They are also expensive, can be intimidating, and can pose their own risks to families of young children or pets. Some homeowners have decided to “take a break” from chickens after being wiped out. Others have moved their flock inside to garages or rehomed them. “The girls might be indoor chickens for life,” said one chicken owner who lives next door to a coop that was recently destroyed.

And it’s not just chickens. There are rumors the sow charged a homeowner and young child who were protecting their remaining flock. A firearm may have been discharged. Another resident nearly collided with one of the cubs off Elmore between O’Malley  and Huffman early one morning. “If I didn’t stomp on the brakes I would have hit one. Who knows what Mama would have done.” The sow’s boldness, coupled with her cubs’ presence, has many wondering when Fish and Game will step in. “Nuisance bears can be a real issue. It can be incredibly dangerous once they start recognizing our homes as food sources,” said South Anchorage Assemblymember Keith McCormick, who is aware of the bear’s presence in his district. With this powerhouse of a sow and two growing cubs prowling the Hillside, residents are left wondering how long “coexisting” will feel manageable.

Allison Hovanec was born and raised in Alaska. She and her husband are raising four young children in South Anchorage. She is a small business owner, writer for the Alaska Political Report and generally competent.