Many Alaskans are just like the bears that roam our fair state. In fact, we can examine bear behavior and see lots of similarities to the Alaskan way. Don’t believe me?

Out state’s bears have large weight fluctuations depending on time of year. Sound familiar? Just ask my workout buddies who are struggling to take off the 15 pounds from their winter “hibernation.”

And speaking of hibernation, which is more likely to wake up ornery looking for food, a Katmai brownie or an Alaskan who stumbled upon the height of the Russian River sockeye run and spent the previous day fishing right through breakfast, lunch, and dinner? I am putting my money on the latter.

Keeping with the sleeping theme, it also follows suit that some bears take quite a long time to completely wake up. My snooze button can vouch for us here.

Our regular eating habits are similar, too. Bears are omnivorous because they eat both plants and animals. So are most Alaskans, especially when you mention moose burgers or reindeer sausage. Bears also love berries, and when the hillsides start showing the colors of a ripening crop, their only competition for the sweet-tasting edibles are likely to be basket-packing Alaskans with blueberry-stained lips and plans for a shelf full of jam.

Obviously, both bears and Alaskans share a common dietary staple, the state’s five species of Pacific salmon. And like all good compatriots, only in rare cases do bears and Alaskans eat one another.

Extending the exploration of our similarities, brown bears mate in early summer, with June being the peak of mating season. I don’t know about you, but my wedding anniversary is June 30. And most weddings in Alaska occur in the summer, with June also being the peak of “mating season.” Must be all that sunlight.

Also like the brown bear in most places outside Alaska, Alaskans seem to be an “endangered species” anywhere else, probably because they miss Alaska so much they rarely venture outside.

Most bears try to avoid people. So do many Alaskans, who are typically befuddled, if not downright disgusted, by crowds. Hardly anyone in the Last Frontier understands the allure of Disneyland.

Like the state’s bears you can find Alaskans with a variety of “coats,” or hair, as we call it—cinnamon, honey, blond, black, brown, even glacier blue! The bears sport many of those same colors, too.

Alaskan men have even more in common with the bears—their fuzzy faces. In fact, I have never seen a higher concentration of bearded men in one place.

Finally, and maybe the most striking of our shared habits—we’re both willing to walk endlessly along the riverbanks of the state in search of fish. Not surprisingly, next to these rivers is also where we’re most likely to encounter one another, which brings up an important point. We may be alike in some ways, but we’re certainly not the same.

Please be careful around Alaska’s bears. Respect and love them, but from a distance. Give them their space—and their turn in the prime fishing hole. They might not need to buy a license, but like you and me, they may have traveled many miles from home in search of fish. It’s only fair they get their shot.

—Melissa Norris

Publisher

Publisher’s Note: Special thanks to the Alaska Zoo Education Department and the Alaska Department of Fish & Game for the information on bear behaviors.