COLORADO – Colorado Parks and Wildlife is reminding the general public to stay “bear conscious” this fall, as black bears within the state enter “hyperphagia”. Throughout this era, black bears spend as much as 20 hours a day trying to find and consuming as a lot meals as they probably can, fattening up for the winter months. The general public is urged to take away any potential attractants from their houses or campsites to cut back the danger of conflicts with these animals.
Black bears are pushed to eat a exceptional 20,000 energy a day throughout hyperphagia. That’s about 210 tablespoons of Jif creamy peanut butter, or simply about 9 giant cheese pizzas from Dominos. They eat that a lot to construct up fats reserves for the winter, pushed by a organic want.
As such, bear incidents are considerably extra widespread in Colorado throughout August, September, and October, with over half of the reported incidences going down throughout these three months in 2023. Trash, fowl seed, pet meals, and barbecue grills are the most typical attractants to black bears, and Coloradans will probably see extra bear exercise in city areas all through this era.
“Analysis reveals that bears favor pure sources of meals. However they are going to hunt down sources of human-provided meals if it’s out there which might change into harmful to people. Stopping bears from counting on human meals sources takes a group effort, and it’s necessary that all of us take proactive steps to restrict human meals sources in an effort to keep away from any potential conflicts with bears and bear-proof our houses.” – CPW Northwest Area Senior Wildlife Biologist Brad Banulis
Bear in mind, a fed bear is lifeless bear!
Colorado Parks and Wildlife on “Be Bear Conscious”:
Bear-proofing your own home:
- Hold rubbish in a well-secured location. Solely put out rubbish on the morning of pickup.
- Clear rubbish cans commonly to maintain them freed from meals odors: ammonia is efficient.
- Hold storage doorways closed. Don’t go away pet meals or inventory feed exterior.
- Use a bear-resistant trash can or dumpster.
- Fowl feeders are a significant supply of bear/human conflicts. Appeal to birds naturally with flowers and water baths. Don’t hold fowl feeders from April 15 to Nov. 15.
- Don’t enable bears to change into comfy round your home. In case you see one, haze it by yelling at it, throwing issues at it and making loud noises to scare it off.
- Safe compost piles. Bears are drawn to the scent of rotting meals.
- Clear the grill after every use, and clear up totally after cookouts.
- In case you have fruit bushes, don’t enable the fruit to rot on the bottom.
- Discuss to your neighbors and youngsters about being Bear Conscious.
Automobiles, touring and campsites:
- Lock your doorways while you’re away from house and at evening.
- Hold the bottom-floor home windows of your home closed while you’re not at house.
- Don’t maintain meals in your automobile; roll up home windows and lock the doorways of your automobiles.
- When car-camping, safe all meals and coolers in a locked automobile.
- Hold a clear camp, whether or not you’re in a campground or within the backcountry.
- When tenting within the backcountry, hold meals 100 ft or extra from the campsite; don’t convey any meals into your tent.
- Prepare dinner meals nicely away out of your tent; wash dishes totally.
Defending your chickens, bees, livestock:
- Hold chickens, bees and livestock in a completely lined enclosure, particularly at evening.
- Assemble electrical fencing when potential.
- Don’t retailer livestock feed exterior.
- Hold enclosures clear to attenuate animal odors.
- Dangle rags soaked in ammonia and/or Pine-Sol across the enclosure as a scent deterrent.
CPW asks all residents and guests to assist save Colorado’s bears by being actively bear conscious all through the late summer season and fall seasons. Bear conflicts and, sadly, bear euthanization is most frequently traced again to human conduct. It’s all of our duty to assist reduce dangers to people and bears alike by being conscious of our impacts.
