Kodiak rancher says bears have claimed 30 of his cows

KODIAK, Alaska (AP) – A rancher on Kodiak Island says bears have killed more than 30 of his cows this year.

The Kodiak Daily Mirror reports Chris Flickinger says the number of animals killed by bears is way above average, causing a sizable financial loss.

Flickinger says just in the past two weeks he has lost a cow, a bull and two calves to bears at his property near Pasagshak.

Nathan Svoboda, a biologist with the state Department of Fish and Game, says people with animals or property damaged by bears should report it, leaving a record of problems with an aggressive bear.

According to the department, killing a bear is permissible under state law if done as a last resort in “defense of your life or property.”
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Information from: Kodiak (Alaska) Daily Mirror, http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com