Some folks just don't deserve to live in the mountains.
7/25/2003
Division of Wildlife
The sliding glass door was only open a few inches, as fresh cinnamon rolls cooled on the counter.
Unfortunately, a passing black bear took advantage of the mouth-watering temptation, ripped through the screen, and was enjoying the baked goods when the surprised owner returned to the kitchen.
Several days later, the homeowner left the same door open again, even though the screen door had not yet been repaired. The bear, having been rewarded once for exploring this kitchen, entered the house through its original opening in the screen and, this time, took a loaf of bread.
The bear then proceeded to the house next door, entered through another sliding screen (also with the glass door open) and opened the refrigerator and found, in the eyes of a bear, pure food heaven.
“When I found the bear it was lying on the deck of the home chowing down on frozen chicken,” said Boulder District Wildlife Manager John Koehler. “I was able to hit the bear pretty hard with rubber buckshot, and it ran full blast into a deep ravine. We hope this will take care of it, but we'll see.”
Rubber buckshot is often used to “haze” a black bear to make the point that being around humans can be painfully unpleasant.
“The bear followed his nose to food, and discovered food behind sliding glass doors, not once, but three times. The likelihood is that the next time this bear sees glass doors, it will think of food again.”
Following these recent bear incidents, Koehler walked the surrounding community, hung “bear aware” signs, spoke with neighbors, and advised the first woman who had lost her cinnamon rolls to the bear.
“Now that we've identified the screen door as a problem, she could be ticketed if she doesn't keep the sliding door closed, especially when nobody is home,” Koehler said, adding that Colorado law states that it is illegal to feed or attract big game, including bears. “The regulation states that no person shall fail to take remedial action to avoid conflict with bears including the securing or removal of outdoor trash, grills, food, birdfeeders or any similar food source or attractant, after being notified by the Division of Wildlife that bears are in the area,” Koehler said.
Governor Bill Owens signed a new law June 5 of this year that punishes the offense of knowingly luring a wild bear to food or edible waste by a warning for the first violation, a fine of $100 for a first offense, $500 for a second offense, and $1,000 for a third or subsequent offense.
Black bears are curious, unpredictable creatures who will work hard to get what they want: food. They find food two primary ways, first by using their keen sense of smell and second, by history. If a mother bear takes her cubs to a place where the acorns grow in abundance, the bears will return year after year to the same location. She will teach them where to find wild plums and chokecherries. If a bear discovers easy sources of human food, such as trash cans, birdfeeders or even refrigerators, it will continue to find food in ways that have proven successful before.
“I wish that more people would take action to scare bears away,” Koehler said. “It is understandable that people are intrigued and excited by watching a bear on the porch, but the kindest thing they can do for the bear is to scare it away.” Koehler suggested that people purchase bear spray (pepper spray) from outdoor stores that sell camping supplies, or even bang pots and pans together or yell at the bear to scare it away.
“I know of one bear that was attempting to open a woman's kitchen window which was cracked open a few inches. Not knowing what to do, the woman threw some bread out of another kitchen window in an apparent attempt to divert the bear’s attention. Of course the bear stopped pushing on the window long enough to eat the bread, then started pushing on the window from where the bread had come,” Koehler said. “If the woman could have delivered a good shot of pepper spray, the bear may have left her home for good. Instead, now he knows her house as the ‘push on the window, get instant bread house.’ Too many times, people just stand and watch, or as happened in this case, do things that are completely counter-productive.”
Bears lose their natural fear of humans through repeated exposure to people in areas where food is provided – whether intentionally or unintentionally. In such cases, bears “learn” that being around humans means being around food and conflict with humans is inevitable; bears may even become destructive or dangerous. “If a bear has learned to enter homes and buildings for food, we may not be able to change its behavior. The sting of rubber buckshot may chase it away, but it’s most likely only a matter of time before it returns,” Koehler said. “Unfortunately, a bear who gets into serious trouble, for example, may have to be tranquilized and relocated. Bears that ultimately become a human-safety risk must be put down, and nobody wants that to happen.”
So, why don’t people just pack away the birdfeeders, clean their barbecue grills and store them inside, keep pet bowls clean after feeding and never, ever leave food-based trash where it might attract a bear? Why don’t campers carry their food in airtight containers, haul out trash when they leave, and store airtight coolers away from camp?
“People have to commit to changing their behavior, even if it’s inconvenient. It might seem easier to put your trash out the night before the garbage truck comes, or easier to leave a screen door open when you are cooling an apple pie, but doing so – even once – puts our wild bears at risk. Even if you keep a clean yard, but your neighbor has a row of overflowing trash bags sitting by the mailbox, the bear that comes sniffing around for food will be everybody’s problem, so don’t hesitate to talk to your neighbors if you see areas that could be improved. Instead, people need to take a look at anything could potentially attract bears, and remove attractants. Taking those extra steps to keep a bear wild could save its life. Most bears require repeated negative conditioning to change bad habits,” Koehler said, “Which is why it is so important for communities to work together to reinforce lessons that the bear must learn.”
http://www.dnr.state.co.us/news/press.asp?pressid=2397
Oak
7/25/2003
Division of Wildlife
The sliding glass door was only open a few inches, as fresh cinnamon rolls cooled on the counter.
Unfortunately, a passing black bear took advantage of the mouth-watering temptation, ripped through the screen, and was enjoying the baked goods when the surprised owner returned to the kitchen.
Several days later, the homeowner left the same door open again, even though the screen door had not yet been repaired. The bear, having been rewarded once for exploring this kitchen, entered the house through its original opening in the screen and, this time, took a loaf of bread.
The bear then proceeded to the house next door, entered through another sliding screen (also with the glass door open) and opened the refrigerator and found, in the eyes of a bear, pure food heaven.
“When I found the bear it was lying on the deck of the home chowing down on frozen chicken,” said Boulder District Wildlife Manager John Koehler. “I was able to hit the bear pretty hard with rubber buckshot, and it ran full blast into a deep ravine. We hope this will take care of it, but we'll see.”
Rubber buckshot is often used to “haze” a black bear to make the point that being around humans can be painfully unpleasant.
“The bear followed his nose to food, and discovered food behind sliding glass doors, not once, but three times. The likelihood is that the next time this bear sees glass doors, it will think of food again.”
Following these recent bear incidents, Koehler walked the surrounding community, hung “bear aware” signs, spoke with neighbors, and advised the first woman who had lost her cinnamon rolls to the bear.
“Now that we've identified the screen door as a problem, she could be ticketed if she doesn't keep the sliding door closed, especially when nobody is home,” Koehler said, adding that Colorado law states that it is illegal to feed or attract big game, including bears. “The regulation states that no person shall fail to take remedial action to avoid conflict with bears including the securing or removal of outdoor trash, grills, food, birdfeeders or any similar food source or attractant, after being notified by the Division of Wildlife that bears are in the area,” Koehler said.
Governor Bill Owens signed a new law June 5 of this year that punishes the offense of knowingly luring a wild bear to food or edible waste by a warning for the first violation, a fine of $100 for a first offense, $500 for a second offense, and $1,000 for a third or subsequent offense.
Black bears are curious, unpredictable creatures who will work hard to get what they want: food. They find food two primary ways, first by using their keen sense of smell and second, by history. If a mother bear takes her cubs to a place where the acorns grow in abundance, the bears will return year after year to the same location. She will teach them where to find wild plums and chokecherries. If a bear discovers easy sources of human food, such as trash cans, birdfeeders or even refrigerators, it will continue to find food in ways that have proven successful before.
“I wish that more people would take action to scare bears away,” Koehler said. “It is understandable that people are intrigued and excited by watching a bear on the porch, but the kindest thing they can do for the bear is to scare it away.” Koehler suggested that people purchase bear spray (pepper spray) from outdoor stores that sell camping supplies, or even bang pots and pans together or yell at the bear to scare it away.
“I know of one bear that was attempting to open a woman's kitchen window which was cracked open a few inches. Not knowing what to do, the woman threw some bread out of another kitchen window in an apparent attempt to divert the bear’s attention. Of course the bear stopped pushing on the window long enough to eat the bread, then started pushing on the window from where the bread had come,” Koehler said. “If the woman could have delivered a good shot of pepper spray, the bear may have left her home for good. Instead, now he knows her house as the ‘push on the window, get instant bread house.’ Too many times, people just stand and watch, or as happened in this case, do things that are completely counter-productive.”
Bears lose their natural fear of humans through repeated exposure to people in areas where food is provided – whether intentionally or unintentionally. In such cases, bears “learn” that being around humans means being around food and conflict with humans is inevitable; bears may even become destructive or dangerous. “If a bear has learned to enter homes and buildings for food, we may not be able to change its behavior. The sting of rubber buckshot may chase it away, but it’s most likely only a matter of time before it returns,” Koehler said. “Unfortunately, a bear who gets into serious trouble, for example, may have to be tranquilized and relocated. Bears that ultimately become a human-safety risk must be put down, and nobody wants that to happen.”
So, why don’t people just pack away the birdfeeders, clean their barbecue grills and store them inside, keep pet bowls clean after feeding and never, ever leave food-based trash where it might attract a bear? Why don’t campers carry their food in airtight containers, haul out trash when they leave, and store airtight coolers away from camp?
“People have to commit to changing their behavior, even if it’s inconvenient. It might seem easier to put your trash out the night before the garbage truck comes, or easier to leave a screen door open when you are cooling an apple pie, but doing so – even once – puts our wild bears at risk. Even if you keep a clean yard, but your neighbor has a row of overflowing trash bags sitting by the mailbox, the bear that comes sniffing around for food will be everybody’s problem, so don’t hesitate to talk to your neighbors if you see areas that could be improved. Instead, people need to take a look at anything could potentially attract bears, and remove attractants. Taking those extra steps to keep a bear wild could save its life. Most bears require repeated negative conditioning to change bad habits,” Koehler said, “Which is why it is so important for communities to work together to reinforce lessons that the bear must learn.”
http://www.dnr.state.co.us/news/press.asp?pressid=2397
Oak
