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closeAvoiding bear encounters takes respect, awareness
Bears are out and about, but awareness event indicates they just want to eat
Roxanne Cooke
Bears are out of hibernation and looking for food — but there are many ways to be respectful and prevent an unwanted encounter.
Last month, locals spotted a black bear raiding garbage cans in South Hill, and just weeks ago a mother bear and two cubs were reported in a park southeast of Sumner.
“Bear Awareness Day” last Saturday at Northwest Trek aimed to educate the public that bears are simply seeking out food, not trouble, and there are ways to keep a bear away from campsites and backyards, said Wendi Mello, animal presenter.
“Their whole mission is to eat,” said Northwest Trek bear and wolf keeper Bill Liggett.
In one demonstration at the wildlife park, a “bear resistant” container with fish inside was roped between two trees at a height low enough that the bears could stand up and reach it. The point of the presentation was to show that bears can smell the contents of a sealed container, and they can open it with little trouble.
A bear’s sense of smell is seven times greater than a bloodhound’s, Liggett said. He recommends storing all items with a scent, food or otherwise, inside a bear resistant container and either burying it or hanging it between trees at least 100 yards away from a campsite.
Bears can easily open coolers and trash bins, Mello said. Even RVs are fair game for break-ins by bears.
If bears find food where people are, they will make that association and continue to raid campsites, Mello said. Those bears are called “nuisance bears” and will often end up dead or euthanized because their continued encounters with humans create problems.
“A fed bear is a dead bear,” Mello said.
In the wild, if a bear can’t easily get to the container with food, it will move on, frustrated, Liggett said. At Northwest Trek, the grizzlies had ample time to scope out the container and reach up to get it down from the rope.
As for those who live where bears often wander in the spring and summer: Keep the yard clean and don’t feed pets outdoors, Liggett said. Motion detectors that spray water when activated or electric fences are the best ways to keep bears away from the home.
Take down bird feeders, and if you want to see hummingbirds, plant native plants instead of using sugar to lure them, he said. Barbecues should be cleaned before and after each use, and ceramic tile rather than lava rocks are recommended because they are easier to clean.
Keep a low-odor compost pile and immediately cover any kitchen waste with dry leaves or grass, Liggett said. Don’t plant a garden near a forest’s edge.
“Smells carry a long way,” he said.
Liggett has had many encounters with bears, he said, and none were negative.
If you do encounter a bear coming toward you, be assertive, appear large and make noise. Slowly leave the area and drop articles of clothing to distract the bear — but don’t drop food.
“If you are fortunate enough to see a brown bear, you are just blessed,” Liggett said. “You just have to be smarter than the bear.”