California’s black bears are intelligent, resourceful and opportunistic. They eat something and the whole lot — fruits, nuts, bugs, human meals and pet meals. They love hen feeders. They poach mountain lion kills — comparable to deer — that they discover. It’s referred to as kleptoparasitism. They’ll use their backside enamel to work open an unlocked automobile door. In the event that they discover a approach into your own home and kitchen, they will open jars of peanut butter and jam and, in fact, honey.
They’re the one bear species within the state, and, regardless of the identify, their fur ranges in coloration from blond to black. It’s been a century for the reason that grizzly bear was hunted to extinction in California, leaving solely its picture, satirically, on the state flag.
Estimating black bears’ numbers is a fraught train. In its draft Black Bear Conservation Plan, the California Division of Fish and Wildlife estimates — utilizing new methodology — the inhabitants at about 65,000 and says it has been secure for a decade. (For years, the division had estimated the inhabitants at 35,000 utilizing much less superior statistical modeling.) Wildlife strategist Wendy Keefover of the group Humane World for Animals — previously the Humane Society of america — argues that quantity is solely a guess, and he or she cautions in opposition to placing an excessive amount of emphasis on it as a result of apex predators comparable to bears are sparsely populated and reproduce slowly.
No matter has occurred with the bear inhabitants, we all know for certain that studies of bear-human interactions have gone up. In line with the Division of Fish and Wildlife, studies have been growing for many years — not as a result of extra bears however to extra folks residing and vacationing in bear territory. There have been a mean 674 studies yearly from 2017 to 2020, however that shot as much as 1,678 per yr throughout 2021 and 2022. The Lake Tahoe Basin and the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains have been specific scorching spots.
California Assemblywoman Heather Hadwick (R-Alturas), whose district contains a type of scorching spots, has launched Meeting Invoice 1038, which might permit hunters to haze bears — however not kill them — by having canine chase them. Hounding of bears by hunters throughout bear looking season was outlawed by the Legislature in 2012 and shouldn’t come again even when hunters don’t intend to kill the bears.
As in 2012, it stays merciless to bears, who find yourself exhausted and clinging to a tree. Canine and bears might combat. And it’s unclear how chasing a random bear, maybe in a forest, goes to discourage it from foraging for meals round people. (The Division of Fish and Wildlife already permits, in restricted conditions, significantly problematic bears in communities or close to livestock to be hazed by canine.)
One other a part of Hadwick’s invoice would authorize the Fish and Sport Fee to resolve whether or not hunters might use hounds as soon as extra to hunt and kill bears. The Legislature already banned this follow, and relinquishing its energy over that ban to an appointed fee is unnecessary.
Though this invoice’s proposals aren’t useful, bear-human encounters are harmful and must be minimized. There’s a greater approach to do this. The division and animal welfare advocates strongly urge Californians to seek out methods to make properties, automobiles, campsites and farms unattractive to bears. There are quite a few recommendations. Bears love smelly meals. Don’t depart any meals outdoors. Use trash cans with bear-proof latches. Take all meals out of your automobile after which lock the automobile doorways. On doorsteps, put down mats that trigger a light electrical shock when a bear steps on them; they’re referred to as “unwelcome mats.” Crawlspaces below decks must be secured. Take away hen feeders out of your yard.
Livestock must be saved in safe pens at evening. Electrical fencing might be put in round rooster coops and enclosures. And for bears that maintain snooping round homes or livestock, there are methods of hazing that don’t contain canine chasing them. Movement-activated lights, noise makers and alarms can scare bears away.
And don’t feed them. The truth is, it’s prohibited within the state of California. However Ann Bryant, government director and a founding father of the Bear League within the Tahoe Basin, says some vacationers do it anyway, placing meals outdoors wherever they’re staying in hopes of luring a bear after which snapping an image. It really works — after which the bear comes again anticipating extra meals. That’s when Bryant, whose group’s volunteers assist folks reside extra harmoniously with bears, will get a name from somebody eager to know methods to make the bear cease coming round.
Bryant’s recommendation is straightforward and simple: Cease placing out meals, and if the bear exhibits up once more, “You stomp your ft and yell, ‘Get outta right here!’ You’re taking away his confidence that persons are going to be good and feed them. You must let the bear know the social gathering’s over.”
So with all these strategies, why do bears maintain coming round? “These strategies do work,” says Fish and Wildlife spokesman Peter Tira. They only have to be extra extensively adopted: “The hot button is ongoing training and consciousness, forming good habits, reaching each residents and guests to bear nation.”
It will likely be as much as the division to extra aggressively get the message out. However right here’s some recommendation that vacationers ought to keep in mind, says Bryant: “Assume all the time behind your thoughts, ‘I’m in bear nation.’”
