It is getting colder and the Bears are moving towards their dens but they are still roaming around! They are currently filling their bellies, getting reading for their winter's sleep. We want to make sure that everyone is aware about the behavior of bears and how we as humans can co-exist. A lot OF misinformation is given about the wildlife. Bear Smart WA is a local non-profit organization which has a goal of educating those who live in bear country regarding the habits of bears and has provided this information.
What are the major Bear Attractants and how do I keep them secure and away from Black Bears?
Garbage accounts for approximately 75% of Bear attractants. One bite is all it takes, and once the bear has tried human garbage it will repeat the process for the rest of its life, to the detriment of its health and also leading to a very early death (usually through relocation or euthanization). We advise residents of rural and some suburban Washington cities to store their garbage in the garage during the week, and only put it on the curb for pick-up on the morning of garbage collection (usually before 7am). If this is not possible, and your garbage is being stolen or thrown around by wild animals (usually bears), we recommend purchasing a bear-resistant garbage container with the blessing of your Garbage Service provider. Some Garbage Services provide these already for areas with high human-bear conflict. Issaquah, Sammamish and Snoqualmie are three City councils that are working with the public to help reduce human-bear conflict by the subsidy of low-cost, bear resistant containers to rent. Bear Smart WA is currently in discussions with King County and the City of Issaquah to change the contract so that we are able to have Bear Resistant cans.
Bird Feeders are the second major bear attractant. Bears love nuts and seeds, especially Black Oil Sunflower seeds. We recommend NOT feeding birds between March and November. Suet, having a high fat content which bears are strongly attracted to is also not recommended. Instead, bird baths are a good idea to see birds up close, and they also do not attract rodents like bird feeders do. They do need cleaning to prevent spreading avian disease however. Hummingbird feeders are considered low attractants but WDFW still advises they get brought in at night between March and November. These too need to be cleaned regularly to keep your 'hummers' healthy.
Fruit trees are the final big bear attractant. Cherry, Pear, and Apple Orchards are usually the worst offenders. Don't let fruit lie on the ground. Pick it as soon as it is ripe. This may seem like wild bear food but if it brings bears close to humans, it causes bears to become habituated to humans, and less wild/likely to run away. While many of us like to see bears, plenty of people are scared of them, report the bear in their backyard, and the bear can often end up euthanised.
What is a Food-Conditioned bear?
The successful repetition of obtaining food associated with humans is what Wildlife Officers term 'food-conditioning.' Technically it is a type of "operant" or behavioral conditioning, the same way we go to the supermarket and expect to buy food, bears who have eaten at garbage cans only once before will repeat the process as they expect the same food "reward".
What is an Habituated Bear?
Habituation is a term applied to bears who seem too comfortable around humans, which is what usually see in the neighborhood. It usually goes hand in hand (or paw in paw) with Food Conditioned bears. When wild bears don't run away from us, this can make a sometimes frightening combination. While the bears won't necessarily attack us, their mere proximity can lead to unhappy accidents. Bears become more likely to enter homes, garages, or break into cars if food smells are too exciting to ignore. And, if we accidentally get too close to a bear (walking around the garage in the middle of the day and suddenly one is feet away from a black bear) this can cause humans and bears to react defensively and without thinking. If a human screams in front of an habituated bear, and then runs away, this can cause a panic reaction in the bear, and the bear will usually run away but if the bear is habituated, the bear may not react at all, or might even give chase in the rarest of circumstances (normally called a bluff charge) - where the bear will chase for a few yards but then stop. Very rarely do black bears attack humans however. The habituation usually means that bears start wandering around our gardens during the day, and it gets harder and harder to scare them off.
Major Bear Attractants include:-
Apples, Plums, Cherries, Pears, Poultry, Poultry feed, Fish, especially fat-rich fish such as female Sockeye Salmon and their eggs. Dandelion flowers.
Poultry require an electric fence for protection.
Bears love chickens but usually only go for them in Spring when few wild foods are available. We recommend an electric fence and keeping chicken feed in air-tight containers and in a bear resistant lock-up (or inside your house/garage) as it will lower your chickens' ability to attract bears.
Chicken feed is a huge attractant.
Ripe fruit should be picked as soon as it is ripened and not allowed to linger on the ground.
Minor Bear Attractants:-
Corn cobs, Squash, Pumpkins, Birdbaths/sources of water in hot weather. Watch out for bears stealing Pumpkins at Halloween. Yes, really.
Melons.
Not a Bear Attractant:-
Citrus Fruits,
Strange Bear Attractants:-
Gasoline, Paint, Dynamite (!!), Deer Off,
What about the berries?
Strawberries, Blackberries, Raspberries and Blueberries. See the risk-reward paragraph below.
Blueberries might be attractants but only really if you have more than a few bushes. They will ripen when all the other berries do, so a few blueberry bushes are not going to attract a bear unless you're on the greenbelt or a 'bear thorough-way'.
Blackberries:
"So many blackberries, so little time" should be WA's motto. Many blackberry patches are left alone by bears because they are not on the greenbelt areas but in residential areas. If you are getting bears in your local blackberry patch, and it's very close to a residential area, it might be a good idea for the bear's sake to take them out. (The berries; not the bears.)
Strawberries, Raspberries:
It might be possible they could attract bears if your berries are ripening before other wild berries (Strawberries ripen in June/July).
It also depends on the quantity and how close to the greenbelt you reside. If you are on greenbelt with bears, a few plants might be ok if you pick them as soon as they ripen. If you have masses in this situation, you'll probably attract bears - especially raspberries, because they do grow wild so bears know they are food when they smell them from a few miles away.
Bears operate on a risk-reward basis. They won't come into a yard unless the reward is high enough - it has to be something that overwhelms their regard for safety - something tasty to them. The more habituated and food-conditioned the bear, the less likely he is to care about risk and more about reward.
For more information, you can contact your local Bear Smart, WA Bear Technician, Katie Knutzen or follow Bear Smart WA on Facebook (website coming soon).
