No bear meat for homeless Alaskans

SIKU CIRCUMPOLAR NEWS SERVICE

A Juneau homeless shelter has stopped serving donated bear meat after learning that Alaska prohibits non-profit groups from accepting wild game such as bear, fox and walrus.

“We didn’t know that it is illegal,” Jetta Whittaker, executive director of the Glory Hole, told the Anchorage Daily News.

The shelter accepted bear, which went into many recipes, including burgers, casseroles and spaghetti.

But last year, Whittaker learned that serving it was contrary to rules set by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. This year, that has meant turning down five offers of bear.

Shelter clients said they miss meat of any kind.

“I will eat whatever you put in front of me,” one told the newspaper. “But you cannot live by starches alone.”

Alaskan food safety officials said even if the organizations receive bear free from hunters, eating it can make people sick.