Now that autumn weather has replaced hot summer days, bears have begun their annual fall eat-a-thon, known as hyperphagia, to prepare for winter.
This intense feeding period begins in late summer when berries and fruits ripen and peaks when fruits like pears and apples are available. During this time, bears spend up to 20 hours a day foraging for food.
Driven by the need to eat, bears will take advantage of free food – garbage, pet food, bird seed, livestock and poultry feed. State wildlife biologists urge Oregon residents, vacation rental managers, and visitors to remove or secure those food sources. Bears that become used to “people food” can pose a serious safety risk to people and pets.
Oregon’s black bears are highly concentrated along the coast, in the Cascades, and in the Blue Mountains. Coastal residents and visitors need to be especially vigilant as bears are common even in more populated and highly visited seaside towns.
However, the obligation also falls on vacation rental managers and guests to contribute to responsible coexistence with bears. ODFW strongly encourages property managers to provide bear-resistant trash cans and educate guests how to use those cans and give them BearWise tips to minimize the risk of bear encounters or issues.
Skyler Gerrity, an ODFW Assistant Wildlife Biologist with years of experience working in coastal areas, says unsecured trash is one of the primary reasons bears are attracted to neighborhoods.
“Bears can smell food from miles away and home in on that source,” Gerrity said. “Leaving trash cans unsecured or accessible gives bears the opportunity to rummage through garbage, which can create a dangerous situation for people – and the bears too.”
Bears also have an incredible memory of where they have found food before – female bears pass this knowledge down to their young. Feeding bears, whether intentional or accidental, can have long-lasting negative effects on multiple generations of bears.
The good news is that most conflict between humans and bears is preventable. Bears don’t want to be around humans, but the prospect of an easy meal is often too good to resist.
Removing things that attract them to the area is the most important thing you can do to protect people and ensure bears stay healthy and wild. Follow these tips to be BearWise:
- Never feed or approachbears. Feeding bears, whether you mean to or not, will cause them to associate humans with food. It is also against the law in Oregon (ORS 496.730).
• Secure food, garbage and recycling. Ensure trash, compost bins and dumpsters are secure by using locking or screw-on lids, metal bars over dumpsters, or fully enclosed trash storage. Take trash out immediately before pick-up, not the night before pickup.
• Remove bird feeders. Birds have plenty of naturally available food sources.
• Feed pets inside and store food indoors. Pet food attracts bears and other wildlife, putting your pets and wildlife at risk.
• Clean and store grills after each use.
• Alert neighbors to unusual bear activity (continued sightings during daylight hours, lack of wariness around humans or pets, etc.). Share these tips with your neighbors!
These simple yet effective steps will go a long way to avoid conflict and keep bears and people safe. Contact your local district ODFW office if you need assistance with a bear-human conflict or observe unusual or aggressive behavior from a bear. Report human safety concerns to Oregon State Police.
Learn more: https://myodfw.com/articles/help-keep-bears-wild