The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife wants to remind residents (and visitors) that black bears are roaming our woods and neighborhoods. Hungry bears are looking for an easy meal before fruits and berries ripen. ODFW is urging residents to keep trash inside until pick-up day, keep pet food inside, clean BBQ grills, and remove bird feeders until natural foods become more available. Bears are smart, learn fast, and have a great memory when it comes to food, including trash. Female bears teach their cubs all about trash can dinners, creating another generation of bears that look for unnatural food sources – and that can become a safety risk to people and their pets.
We can all take steps to reduce conflicts with bears. Everyone doing their part to keep unnatural food sources from enticing bears will go a long way in keeping bears wild and people and pets safe.
Follow these BearWise tips:
• Never feed bears. Feeding bears, intentionally or unintentionally, will cause them to associate people with food. It is also against the law in Oregon (ORS 496.730).
• Secure food, garbage, and recycling. Ensure trash and dumpsters are secure from bears by using metal bars over dumpsters or fully enclosed trash storage. . Thoroughly wash cans to reduce smells.
• Remove bird feeders. Birds have plenty of naturally available food sources, especially in the spring.
• Feed pets inside. Food attracts bears and other wildlife, putting your pets and wildlife at risk. Keep pets under your control when outside.
• Clean and store grills after each use.
• Check your yard before letting pets out at night. Turn a porch light on and use a flashlight to check for bears before letting pets out in the dark
• Alert neighbors and ODFW to unusual bear activity (continued sightings during daylight hours, lack of wariness around people or pets, etc.).
Share these tips with your neighbors. Report bear activity ODFW’s Tillamook wildlife biologists at 503-503-842-2741 ext 2
.
