~wildlife education~
A bear looking for food in a garbage container. (Photo credit: istock.com/Reid K Dalland)
Problem bears aren’t born, they are made that way by human mistakes.
Bears require large amounts of food to prevent starvation during hibernation and to produce offspring, so they are continually looking for food. That sometimes brings them into contact with humans. Bears may travel hundreds of kilometres daily in their search for food.
A bear’s sense of smell and hearing is far superior to humans. If a hungry bear smells a barbecue or trash receptacle containing food waste, it will go after it. Bears are natural scavengers and have good memories, so they will return to sites where they have found food before.
Bears are strong and have been known to bend open car doors and pry open windshields in their search for food, so don’t leave food or food waste in your vehicle.
If you go out hiking in bear country, make sure you are prepared. Carry bear spray; avoid wearing strong perfumes; keep your children close to you and always keep your pets on a leash. If you see a bear, stay calm. Speak in a calm, firm voice and back away slowly. NEVER run. A black bear can run up to 48 km per hour, which is faster than the average human.
To prevent attracting bears to your cottage, home or campsite, don’t leave any type of food, garbage or pet food where a bear can get at it. Store them inside or in a bear-proof container. Many nuisance bear calls are due to garbage attracting them. Take your garbage away immediately and put it out at the curb just in time for your regular collection time (not the night before). Cooking grease, bones and waste parts of meat should be stored in the freezer until your garbage day. Do not put any meat or fish in a backyard compost bin.
Barbecues attract bears. Clean up cooking and eating areas promptly when finished and keep your grills clean and free from grease.
Birdseed and suet may also attract bears. If you have fruit trees, pick fruit and windfall every day when ripe. If necessary, enclose composts, fruit trees, vegetable gardens and beehives with chain link or electric fencing, and keep pets inside at night.
Sadly, nuisance calls can lead to the death of a mother bear and orphaned bear cubs. NIWRA has been operating a Black Bear Rehabilitation Program for almost 30 years to care for orphaned bear cubs. The program was designed to prevent habituation and ensure the successful return of bears to the wild.
You can help the wildlife in care at NIWRA by making a financial contribution on our secure website. Thank you so much for caring about wildlife!
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