MONTPELIER, Vt. – Black bears have arisen from their winter slumber and are once again roaming the landscape looking for food. The late spring is delaying the growth of bears’ natural food sources, which is likely contributing to a rise in bear-human conflicts this year according to Vermont Fish & Wildlife bear biologist Forrest Hammond.
Hammond is asking the public to help keep Vermont’s bears wild by removing any potential food sources that would cause them to associate people with food. “Bears will be more attracted to people’s yards than normal this year as they struggle to find foods in the wild,” said Hammond. “This presents an even more urgent need to keep bears and humans safe by removing bird feeders and securing garbage and other potential bear attractants.”
Hammond offers a few simple tips to avoid attracting bears:
- Remove food sources that might attract hungry bears. These include pet food, barbecue grills, garbage, compost, and campsites with accessible food and food wastes. Birdfeeders are one of the most common bear attractants, so remove all birdfeeders and clean up seeds beneath them.
- Store garbage containers in a garage, shed or basement, and put your garbage out the morning of pickup rather than the night before.
- Consider installing electric fencing, a cheap and effective deterrent to bears, around dumpsters, chicken coops, berry gardens, beehives or other potential food sources.
- Maintain a compost bin that is as scent free as possible by adding three parts carbon-rich ‘brown’ materials like dry leaves, straw, or ripped up paper for every one part food scraps or ‘green’ materials. Turn the pile every couple of weeks and bury fresh food scraps down in the pile to reduce their attractiveness. In backyard composters, avoid composting meat, dairy, or overly smelly foods.
- Keep a respectful distance from any bears you encounter. If a bear is up a tree near your home, bring your children and pets inside. Never approach bear cubs or attempt to ‘rescue’ them if you find them alone. If you see a bear in a residential area or you encounter an aggressive bear, please contact your local warden or report the bear at vtfishandwildlife.com.
“It is extremely difficult to relocate a bear caught up in human-bear conflicts,” said Hammond. “Sadly, these bears sometimes need to be put down to protect human health. Our large and healthy bear population is butting up against an increasing number of people who have built houses in the woods, fragmenting bears’ habitat and attracting them with backyard food sources. The bears are not going to change their behavior so it’s up to us to make the change.”
Residents are required by law to remove bear attractants and are prohibited from killing problem bears without first taking extensive nonlethal measures.