#854 is another small, young adult female. She has a golden blonde coat in July which darkens by late August.

Her muzzle is short and straight. She has scars on both hips. In July, #854 often has a noticeable shed patch on her forehead.

Bear #854 shares a similar life history as her sibling #790. Her mother is #216 and #24 is her father. She was classified as a subadult in 2004.

She is still young, but like #790, she has showed signs of estrus during the past several years.

This is one bear that is occasionally seen near Brooks Camp in May and early June.

#854 has learned to associated people with fish.

In the lower Brooks River, she will often sit or lie on the shore while people fish nearby. She often looks like she is resting and not paying attention to the water, but when someone hooks a fish, she quickly enters the water in pursuit of an easy meal.

Anglers should be especially careful around bears and remember that the sound of a splashing fish is the sound of food to a bear. Each time a bear takes a fish from someone’s fishing line it reinforces that behavior. The bear is then more likely to approach people in the future with the idea of obtaining food.