U.S. FOREST SERVICE
INFORMATION
___________________________
BEARS
Make sure you don’t contribute to
resident bears becoming "garbage" bears. Most conflicts between bears
and people are linked to careless
handling
of food or garbage. Don’t let
your carelessness cause the unnecessary death of a bear. Learn to live
responsibly with wildlife!
Black bears eat almost anything. They will eat human food, garbage, hummingbird
food, and pet and livestock food when available. Once a bear has found the
easily accessible, consistent food source that human settlements can offer, it
may overcome its wariness of people and visit regularly, increasing the chance
of a human/bear encounter. You and your neighbors can make a difference. Your
actions may prevent the unnecessary death of a bear! Make your property safe by
keeping garbage out of reach and smell of bears. Use bear-proof trash
containers. Be sure garbage cans are emptied regularly. Periodically clean
garbage cans to reduce residual odor – using hot water and chlorine bleach or
by burning. Store trash in a bear proof enclosure. Contact the Division of
Wildlife for designs. If you have pets, do not store their food or feed them
outside. Clean your BBQ grill of grease and store inside. Hang bird seed, suet
and hummingbird feeders on a wire between trees instead of on your deck or
porch. Bring all bird feeders in at night. Do not put fruit, melon rinds and
other tasty items in mulch or compost piles. Most bears sighted in residential
areas within bear habitat do not cause any damage. If a bear doesn’t find
abundant food, it will move on. Clean outdoor BBQs thoroughly after each use.
Info courtesy of Colorado Division of Wildlife. For
more information, please visit their
website.
Copyright © 2005 [YourPagosa.com]. All rights reserved.
Revised: January 08, 2007
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