After a black bear was shot dead in her front yard, a Whitehorse resident is concerned that people are inadvertently luring bears into the neighbourhood by feeding wildlife.

Hikers in the Anchorage area are advised to use caution on the Turnagain Arm Trail, following multiple reports of a black bear displaying unusual behavior.

Residents speculate the black bears are venturing into town because they're hungry, after a poor run of pink salmon and rainy weather that hurt the abundance of berries, limiting food for the animals.

“If black bears are starting to stir, brown bears could be, too,” a state Fish and Game official said.

Half the bears were killed by people who said they were defending their lives or property. The other half were killed by police, park rangers or wildlife biologists.

The bear got into the facility through a door trucks use to access the building, a USPS spokeswoman said.

Experts say brown or grizzly bears attack and kill people far more often in Alaska than black bears. Authorities say black bears killed a 16-year-old runner at Bird Ridge over the weekend and a Pogo Mine contractor Monday.