Live safely with bears

#Middlebury #BlackBears

Birdseed attracted black bears to this Middlebury deck, placing them dangerously close to people. The bird feeder was taken down. When the bears returned to find no birdseed, the owner chased them off with noise, and they have not returned. (Janine Sullivan-Wiley photo)

By JANINE SULLIVAN-WILEY

Black bears may look like teddy bears, but humans who wish to live safely with them in the neighborhood need to remember they are wild animals. Master wildlife conservationist and educator Paul Colburn made that point at his recent presentation sponsored by the Middlebury Land Trust. Middlebury Animal Control Officer Rusty Bona agrees.

Bona said Middlebury’s residents have adjusted fairly well to the town’s current population of eight to 10 bears, not counting cubs. However, he said of some residents, “They put out food to see the bears.” He said this can lead to bears being confused about when it’s OK to come near a human for food. Anyone feeding a bear should ask themselves, “What if that was a child carrying a lunch box?”

Bona reported getting more calls that bears are “looking in my door.” When he looks at pictures of these bears, he said he sees the bears are right next to food, such as a grill with an appealing grease drip pan. He suggested that grills – if they cannot be put in a garage – be covered and the drip pans kept emptied.

Colburn said these native animals are large, weighing from 110-450 pounds and are remarkably fast, strong and agile. They can quickly climb up a tree as high as 70-80 feet and can run at 35 miles per hour.

With their strong paws and long claws, they can tear open logs and turf – or garbage pails or car doors – to reach food they know is there. They locate food both through their sense of smell, which is 10 times better than a bloodhound’s, or by remembering where they previously found tasty human, bird or pet food.

Bears are intelligent animals, and Colburn forcefully made the point that we should not be teaching them that humans are a good food source. He said once bears learn to get food near people’s homes, they will lose their innate (and healthy) natural avoidance of humans. Proximity to a large, unafraid wild animal is bad for us, and bad for them. The loss of natural fear of humans can lead to behavior like breaking into a home or outbuilding and result in the bears getting euthanized. There is an old adage: “A fed bear is a dead bear.”

“When black bears are not breeding, all they care about is eating,” Colburn said. At this time of year, bears may eat 20 hours a day as they try to bulk up for winter, adding up to 25-30% of their body weight. That drive to eat coupled with habituation (loss of fear of humans) has led to more bear-human conflicts, reported by Colburn as increasing from 286 in 2010 to 1,392 in 2018.

Middlebury has plenty of their preferred natural foods: downed trees for insects, acorns (a very high calorie favorite), fruit and berries, small animals if they can catch them, and carrion. Most of their natural diet is vegetarian, but they will eat pretty much anything they can find. Chickens and beehives are considered a bonanza. The only good protection against bears for livestock is an electric fence. Bona noted these can be obtained at Tractor Supply Company and are not expensive.

Colburn and Bona added these tips for living safely with bears: First, don’t feed bears either accidentally or (God forbid!) on purpose. To chase a bear from your yard, boat horns are very effective, but are so loud they should not be used around small children or dogs. If out hiking, make some noise as you go along; a bear that hears you will move away.

If you do encounter one accidentally, talk calmly, and walk away slowly. Do not run. A bear may “bluff charge” for a few feet. Stand your ground and yell. Dogs can be a problem. Keep yours leashed so they don’t turn an encounter into a confrontation, or chase a bear and potentially get injured or killed by those powerful claws, or lead a bear back to you if the bear decides to chase the dog. If you hear a bear making chuffing noises or clacking its jaws, that is a “Back off!” message. Oddly, a bear going up onto its hind legs is not making a threat display; it’s just trying to get a better look.

We can live alongside each other safely. It is up to us to assure that bears do not learn behaviors that will make them unwelcome, or worse, dangerous neighbors.

For more information, see CT DEEP at portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Wildlife/Living-with-Black-Bears; and Colburn’s website: paulcmwcpinct.wixsite.com/website. Contact this writer at jswspotlight@gmail.com. You can visit the Middlebury Land Trust on Facebook or the website at middleburylandtrust.org. Happy hiking!