[ODFW-News] Bears keep biologists busy in fall

[ODFW News]

For Immediate Release Friday, Sept. 23, 2005
 
Bears keep biologists busy in fall
 
NEWPORT - State wildlife biologist Doug Cottam goes to work this time of
year with a daily task, and it is not answering hunter questions about
deer herds. Nor is it monitoring wildlife populations. 
 
Each day, Cottam responds to a homeowner worried about bears in the
neighborhood.
 
"I've had seven bear complaints in the past seven days, and every one
has a neighbor who is feeding bears - every one," said Cottam, who works
from Newport. 
 
Cottam visits the people who call, notes any bear "sign" (feces,
distinctive odor and scratch marks on trees) and talks to the neighbors.
He gives a now-practiced speech with the following message: Feeding
bears will likely lead to the death of the bear.
 
Autumn usually brings a sudden and large increase in black bear-human
interactions in many western Oregon communities. Bears sometimes feed
every waking minute to gear-up for winter hibernation, a behavior known
as hyperfagia. Natural food sources like insects, carrion, plants,
fruits and berries may not support the bears' increasingly desperate
search for food. It is the decrease in food that ultimately ends with
bears denning through winter in a deep sleep. However, before the bears
den, they can be a nuisance and human safety risk. 
 
ODFW generally does not relocate bears habituated to humans because of
human safety concerns. Research has shown that relocating troublesome
bears does not work. Individual bears have been known to travel long
distances to return to their original home range. If a relocated bear
stays away from its original home range, it often will seek human foods
in its new habitat or move to an area where human foods are available.
As a result, if ODFW has to trap a bear, the bear will likely be
euthanized.
 
Bears generally are not dangerous to humans, according to Don Whittaker,
ODFW's lead bear biologist. However, they will eat nearly anything and
sometimes forage in trashcans and eat pet food if those food sources are
present. When bears are purposely or inadvertently fed by people, they
may become aggressive and dangerous because they start to associate
humans with food. 
 
ODFW biologists remind people who live, work or play in suburban, rural
or forested areas that reducing bear attractants will help protect
people and bears. Bears have a keen sense of smell and will travel long
distances to reach an easy food source. 
 
ODFW encourages residents to follow some simple guidelines to reduce
conflicts with bears.
1. Remove all food attractants. Don't leave food unattended. Bears are
creatures of habit and will return to spots where they have previously
found food.
2. Take in all bird feeders at night, including hummingbird feeders, and
sweep up any seed on the ground. In areas where bears are a problem,
avoid feeding birds during the summer months.
3. Keep all garbage inside your house or closed garage, and only place
it outside just before garbage pick-up.
4. If bears have previously ransacked garbage cans, clean cans with hot
water and bleach or ammonia to remove odors. Double bag all garbage. Use
of ammonia-soaked rags in and around the cans may repel bears. 
5. Keep all pet food and livestock feed inside the house or garage. Feed
pets indoors.
6. Use three strands of low-cost electric fencing as an easy way to
deter bears from fruit trees, compost piles, beehives and garbage cans.
7. Clean up barbecue grills and store them inside.  
8. Do not feed bears or raccoons deliberately; they can survive without
human assistance.
9. Speak with neighbors about removing potential attractants.
10. Call the county health department or local law enforcement if there
are unsanitary garbage problems in the neighborhood.
 
More information on bears can be found in the brochure titled "Living
with Wildlife: Black Bear" at
http://www.dfw.state.or.us/ODFWhtml/InfoCntrWild/blackbear3.pdf .
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