Petersburg Pilot -

SITKA, Alaska (AP) — A Sitka bear sanctuary is getting ready to unveil its new black bear enclosure when it opens for the tourist season.

Fortress of the Bear

Manager Claire Turner said during a presentation at the Sitka Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday that the new enclosure will add about 10 times the space of its previous habitat, the Daily Sitka Sentinel reported.

It expects to open by early May, Turner said.

Les and Evy Kinnear opened the fortress in 2002. At the time, they only worked with brown bears.

They later added a separate 4000-square-foot (372-sq. meter) enclosure after...