Page 8 - APRIL2022

Page 8 NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM April 2022 Community
Be Responsible with Bear Attractants This Spring
The Granite State’s black bears will soon be emerging from their winter dens and begin ac- tively searching for any available food sources. While there may be some leftover nuts from last fall, bears will be primarily reliant on spring greens for food. Because of this limited menu, bears will be easily enticed by a wide va- riety of human-produced food sources, especially bird feeders.
With the recent onset of spring-like conditions, officials are asking the New Hampshire public to be both proactive and responsible by taking down bird feeders no later than April 1 in the North Country, and imme- diately in central and southern parts of the state where bear ac- tivity has already been reported.
Backyard farmers should pro- tect poultry, livestock, and bees with electric fencing, being sure to remember these fencing needs when picking up new chicks this spring. Additionally, residents
can help prevent attracting bears by securing dumpsters and gar- bage cans, and storing grills, pet food, and animal feed indoors. The easiest way to solve a bear– human conflict is to prevent it in the first place. Please do your part to help protect New Hamp- shire’s bears!
“This winter has had long pe- riods of cold temperatures, and bears have been denned and in- active in response,” said Andrew Timmins, Bear Project Leader for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. “However, the recent spring-like weather undoubtedly will result in some bears becoming active, particu- larly in the central and southern parts of the state where the snow is gone. It’s time to prepare for foraging bears and remove or se- cure all backyard food sources.”
“Building good bear–human relationships is far more success- ful when people are preemptive, and it is easier to avoid a conflict
than resolve one,” said Timmins. “Bears have an extremely acute sense of smell, long memories, and high intelligence. We re- ally need the help of residents this spring to prevent emerging bears from returning to locations where they have been previously successful in finding backyard food sources. It is harmful for bears to become conditioned to forage around homes and in res- idential areas because they will lose some of their natural aver- sion to humans. Bears are much better off in the wild relying on natural food sources.”
Despite continued pleas ask- ing homeowners not to feed birds during the non-winter months, bird feeders typically are the direct cause of 25% of annual bear–human encounters. There is abundant food for birds in the spring and summer, so consider a bird bath or flowering plants that attract birds instead. In addition to bird feeders, other bear attrac-
tants include unprotected chick- ens and other poultry (23%) and unsecured garbage cans/dump- sters (38%).
“If the public would be willing to address these three common attractants, we could quickly reduce annual bear–human en- counters by more than 80%, which would be tremendous,” said Timmins.
Help build respectful relationships with bears:
• Stop feeding wild birds by April
1. If you live south of the White Mountains consider removing bird feeders March 15 or at the onset of spring-like weather conditions, whichever comes first since conditions fluctuate throughout the state.
• Clean up any spilled birdseed and dispose of it in a secured trash container.
• Secure all garbage in airtight containers inside a garage or adequate storage area, and put
garbage out on the morning of pickup, not the night before. If using a dumpster, inform your dumpster company that you need one with metal locking tops and doors that are inacces- sible to bears and other wildlife.
• Never put meat scraps in your compost pile.
• Don’t leave pet food dishes out- side overnight.
• Clean and store outdoor grills after each use.
• Never deliberately feed bears. You will be encouraging these animals to rely on human-re- lated foods, which will affect their wild behavior and reduce their chance of survival.
If you have questions regard- ing bear-related issues, you can get advice by calling a toll-free number coordinated jointly by the U.S. Department of Agricul- ture’s Wildlife Services and the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department: 1-888-749-2327 (1-888-SHY-BEAR).
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