Safety and Coexistence

Autumn, Hunting and Bear Safety (and Pies)

Posted: by colleen

For some, cooler weather means additional sweaters, increased heating bills and a great excuse to eat a lot of pie.  For others, autumn means big game hunting season.  We walk quietly through the woods, in camouflage sometimes sprayed with animal musk, and we bugle to attract animals.  While our technique may be good way to attract deer and elk, they are also a good way to attract a curious bear. 

While bears are naturally shy creatures, there have been an increased number of incidents with grizzlies this year.  A high number of grizzlies have been relocated or removed by wildlife agents due to human food habituation, and there have been two human deaths from grizzly bear attacks this year; a hiker in Yellowstone National Park and a hunter in Lincoln County.  Deaths from bear attacks are very rare, but precautions should be taken when hiking, camping and hunting.

Please read Staying Safe in Bear Country where you can learn about bear behavior and how to properly respond to a potential bear attack.  Read Tips for Coexistence to learn about safely hunting, camping and hiking in bear country. 

Tips for Coexistence also lists ways in which you can keep your yard free from bear attractants.  Bears have a very strong sense of smell and are attracted to unsecured garbage, greasy BBQs, dog food, bird feeders and more.  Bears that are attracted to human food can become problematic, and may be removed or killed – and they hold the potential to do some decent property damage.  Just as we’re putting on a little fat for the winter (ahh, the joy of eating pie), bears are preparing to den for the winter and are focused on eating as many calories as possible: in late summer and early fall black bears can eat up to 20,000 calories a day, grizzly bears twice that much. 

Whether you are preparing for a fall hunt, or preparing your BBQ for storage, follow the links above to learn more about being Bear Smart and about responsibly living with bears. 

First time “hard release” of a cougar in Washington

Posted: by Cathy Macchio

 

A 140-pound male cougar was too close for comfort, hanging around homes and a school near Enumclaw. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife trapped the animal and then “hard released” the cougar using  Karelian Bear Dogs and shooting  bean bags to scare the animal away so it won’t return to the neighborhood. Fish and Wildlife officers fitted the cougar with a radio collar which will monitor its whereabouts.

There are approximately 2,000 cougars in Washington State. To learn more about cougars and co-existing with them visit GBOP’s website

 

Chris Morgan blogs about bear safety

Posted: by snegri

Chris Morgan, Co-Director of the Grizzly Bear Outreach Project, wrote a recent blog on PBS’ website about the bear attack in Yellowstone and what you can do to be safe.

A must read for anyone who is working, recreating, or living in bear country.

One of the key elements of staying safe in bear country is prevention. Bears don’t like to be surprised – especially grizzly bears that may be defending cubs or a prized food cache. It goes without saying that hiking in groups increases safety – making noise reduces the likelihood of an unwanted confrontation with a defensive bear. Smaller groups have to be very conscious of making noise – especially when the wind is in your face (the bear ahead can’t smell you), or when in thick brush, approaching blind bends in the trail, or hill rises, or when hiking alongside a noisy creek. I’m often the loudest guy on the trail – belting out a “Hey bear!” every so often politely warns a bear of your approach and enables them to take diversionary action

Click here to read the entire blog

Hiker stops grizzly with bear spray

Posted: by Cathy Macchio

Chris Laing was hiking in Teton Canyon, Wyoming when he encountered a grizzly bear sow with two cubs. The sow was chasing after Laing’s dog when suddenly she headed towards Laing. He used bear spray to deter the bear and managed to leave the trail uninjured.

Wyoming Game and Fish Specialist Mike Boyce thinks Laing’s dog was a factor in provoking the bear. Boyce recommends hiking with others, making noise, keeping dogs on leashes, carrying bear spray and knowing how to use it. Read the entire article

For more information on encountering a bear and staying safe in bear country visit GBOP’s website

Learn more about bear spray versus bullets in detering bears.

Male Bears Responsible for Majority of Fatal Black Bear Attacks

Posted: by colleen

While female grizzly bears with young have always been considered to be the more dangerous sex, a recent study by bear biologist Stephen Herrero suggests that the opposite may be true for black bears. Herrero’s study on fatal black bear attacks from 1900 to 2009, published in the Journal of Wildlife Management, shows that male black bear are responsible for over 90% of the 63 fatal attacks on humans in the U.S. and Canada.

While the number of attacks per decade has risen since the 1960s, it is not thought to be due to bears becoming more aggressive, but due to more people living and recreating in bear habitat. The study also suggests a correlation between the attacks, food availability and a bear’s lack of previous experience with humans.

Listen to a recent interview with Dr. Herrero and learn more about his study, the two different types of bear attacks; Defensive and Predatory, and what steps to take if faced with either type of attack. Also visit GBOP’s Tips for Coexistence and Bear Safety pages.

Bear resistant trash cans could help in Issaquah

Posted: by Cathy Macchio

Following up on recent bear incidents in Issaquah, the Seattle news station King 5 aired a story on June 14, 2011 investigating if Waste Management was planning to take any action. Waste Management was up to the challenge.

For the past several months, as a GBOP field representative, I have been collaborating with Waste Management and the City of Issaquah in researching bear resistant cans. During the initial 6 month trial, different designs of bear resistant cans will be tested with refuse trucks throughout various neighborhoods. The design that is most durable, keeps the bears out, is child safe and user-friendly for residents and Waste Management will be selected and offered to residents of Issaquah. This will greatly reduce the potential for human bear conflict and minimize bears frequenting our neighborhoods rummaging through garbage.

 

Leavenworth implements garbage program

Posted: by gus

The City of Leavenworth is taking steps to discourage black bears and other wildlife from dining on residents garbage. The city is changing its garbage pick-up schedule to encourage residents to put out their garbage in the morning rather than the night before.

Leavenworth Public Works Director, Dave Schettler and several city council members attended meetings and presentations where living in black bear country was discussed. Leavenworth and the surrounding area is prime black bear country and bears are frequently spotted in and around town. By moving the garbage pick-up time from 6:30am to 8:00am the city hopes to eliminate the availability of garbage as an attractant and food source for the local bears. The city notified customers last month of the change by handing out pink flyers explaining the new system.

Leavenworth experienced an increase in bear encounters last year and hopes to avoid a similar situation this year. Residents have reported bears around Blackbird Island, a popular walking and running trail along the Wenatchee River that runs through the middle of town; school field trips and soccer games have also been canceled in response to bear sightings in town.

In another step toward implementing bear safe practices the city has ordered some 64-gallon bear resistant trash bins. The special trash bins will be provided to customers who have had continued problems with wildlife feeding on their trash. These small steps will certainly help in reducing the bear encounters in the city and move Leavenworth closer to being a bear smart community.

 

White family charged with killing up to five gray wolves

Posted: by Cathy Macchio

Bill and Tom White are alleged to have killed a total of five endangered gray wolves on or near their Twisp, Washington property in the area that the Lookout Pack had established residence.

One of the wolves shot by the Whites in 2008 was skinned and the hide attempted to be smuggled to Canada for processing. The package was intercepted when it started leaking blood at the FedEx office in Omak. This incident kicked off the federal investigation into the Whites, whose homes were searched by state and federal agents.

The U.S. District Court in Spokane indicted Bill White, his son Tom White and Tom’s wife, Erin White with conspiracy to take an endangered species, punishable by up to one year in prison and up to $100,000 in fines, and smuggling a wolf hide out of the country, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and fines.

The Lookout Pack is the first pack of gray wolves confirmed in Washington in more than 70 years. In July 2008 there were as many as nine animals in eastern Washington, but state wildlife officials fear that because of poachers as few as two animals have survived.

Read more about the killing of gray wolves in Methow Valley.

To learn more about gray wolves visit GBOP’s website

Grizzlies run amok at zoo’s Bear Affair and Big Howl for wolves

Posted: by Cathy Macchio

Come out to Woodland Park Zoo on Saturday June 4th to watch Keema and Denali, 900 pound grizzly bears, run amok a mock campsite and backyard as Chris Morgan, bear ecologist, narrates how intelligent, adaptive and important these awe-inspiring bears are to a healthy ecosystem.

The Bear Affair & Big Howl for Wolves is a full day of activities focused on bears and wolves and how humans can co-exist with them.

The schedule:

  • 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Crafts for kids
  • 10 a.m. Keeper talk on wolves
  • 10:30 a.m. Keeper talk on sloth bears
  • 11 a.m. Mock campsite in grizzly exhibit with Chris Morgan
  • Noon – 1 p.m. Chris Morgan book signing
  • 1:30 p.m. Keeper talk on Malayan sun bears
  • 2 p.m. Home demonstration in grizzly exhibit with Chris Morgan
  • 3 p.m. Keeper talk on wolves

 

http://greenlake.komonews.com/news/urban-wildlife/see-grizzlies-run-amok-zoos-bear-affair-big-howl-wolves/643809

Sow and two juveniles seek refuge in a cedar tree

Posted: by Cathy Macchio

This past Saturday a resident form Sammamish notified me of three bears hanging out in her neighbor’s tree. I quickly turned my car around and headed to her house. When I arrived, there were five people in the street, heads up, staring at a 70 foot cedar tree. I knew the bears had to be in that tree, but they were barely visible. Soon my eyes picked out the three black spots hidden in the branches. The resident who called me explained that the bears broke into her neighbor’s chicken coop and ate a few chicks. Fish and Wildlife was called to set a trap next to the chicken coop.

I found out the neighbor has lived in this Sammamish neighborhood for seven years and never saw bears until last year when construction began nearby on a new subdivision. She believes this same sow was spotted last summer rummaging through garbage and feeding on bird feeders. Following these incidents, the entire neighborhood worked together to remove attractants and keep garbage stored inside until the morning of garbage pick-up. Unfortunately, the allure of the chickens was too great for the sow to resist. I gave the neighbor information about electric fencing the coop and also reminded her to remove ripe or fallen fruit from her apple trees.

For more tips on coexisting with bears visit GBOP’s website.