Sandman
Aug 01, 2007, 07:35 AM
Hide your picnic baskets; bears live here, too
Experts say local bear sightings have increased for 2007
By Elizabeth Gabriel (egabriel@sierrastar.com)
<!--/STORYHEADLINE--><!--STORYBODY--> (Updated Friday, July 27, 2007, 3:40 PM)
Does a bear eat in the woods?
<!-- BEGIN Component: SierraStar : component/storylevel/photo.comp -->
<!-- BEGIN Component: SierraStar : component/storylevel/mainimage.comp --> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="252"><tbody><tr><td> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="252"><tbody><tr><td>http://www.sierrastar.com/ips_rich_content/149-kstar_p0725_bear.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td>Black bears have been seen more often this year. Experts say the cause is likely a food shortage, resulting from severe dry conditions in the area.
Photo courtesy of Yosemite National Park</td></tr><tr><td>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
</td></tr></tbody></table> <!-- END Component: SierraStar : component/storylevel/mainimage.comp -->
Yes, and happily, too, if it has enough food and hasn't learned that trash cans are a lot easier to open than anthills.
That's where the trouble starts, said Clu Cotter of the California Department of Fish and Game.
In a drought year like this one, when natural food is scarce, bears start looking around for more places to get food. That food may be yours.
Cotter said bear sightings are up this year in the Mountain Area.
"For the bears, it's all about the calories," he said. "They are just looking for food."
The black bear -- it can be any bearish color from brown to black -- is California's only remaining wild ursine. Small by some standards, females typically weigh from 100 to 200 pounds and males from 150 to 350, although there have been some 600 pounders certified.
That's a lot of body mass to keep in motion.
The Fish and Game Web site, www.dfg.ca.gov (http://www.dfg.ca.gov/), states: "Bears commonly consume ants and other insects in summer, but prefer nut crops, especially acorns, and manzanita berries in the fall. As omnivores, black bears will eat whatever seems edible. Mostly they are plant eaters. Bears frequently adapt to human presence, often because bears are attracted to human garbage, pet food and other food items. In suburban areas and mountain communities, bears may damage private property while foraging. These events are most likely to occur in spring if natural foods are scarce, or in late summer and fall, especially during years of poor berry and acorn yields."
"The bears aren't destructive," Cotter said, "but if they need to rip up a tent or go through a fence to get to an easy source of food, they will. They don't just get it in their heads to start tearing stuff up. They've been trained that that's the fastest way to get to the food."
Cotter, Adrienne Freeman of Yosemite National Park and Scott Henderson of Calvin Crest camp all agree: if you have a problem with bears, it's up to you to do something about it.
Cotter has several tips for dealing with hungry bears.
(http://topix.net/r/07lUe3DDGoDdEToce6O4L2X5weIgEd5E1BpLeRIhBphjTxdljc nnJ47LWaFdJe9wpQmC0ZBydEtLhZEUEjrLxVWgywl3VBsPOrkf vHk5EjLj=2FggMlWwZt8=2BOvnclaiQK9)
more... (http://topix.net/r/07lUe3DDGoDdEToce6O4L2X5weIgEd5E1BpLeRIhBphjTxdljc nnJ47LWaFdJe9wpQmC0ZBydEtLhZEUEjrLxVWgywl3VBsPOrkf vHk5EjLj=2FggMlWwZt8=2BOvnclaiQK9)
via Sierra Star (http://topix.net/r/07lUe3DDGoDdEToce6O4L2X5weIgEd5E1BpLeRIhBphjTxdljc nnJ47LWaFdJe9wpQmC0ZBydEtLhZEUEjrLxVWgywl3VBsPOrkf vHk5EjLj=2FggMlWwZt8=2BOvnclaiQK9)
Black bears have been seen more often this year. Experts say the cause is likely a food shortage, resulting from severe dry conditions in the area.
Photo courtesy of Yosemite National Park
Experts say local bear sightings have increased for 2007
By Elizabeth Gabriel (egabriel@sierrastar.com)
<!--/STORYHEADLINE--><!--STORYBODY--> (Updated Friday, July 27, 2007, 3:40 PM)
Does a bear eat in the woods?
<!-- BEGIN Component: SierraStar : component/storylevel/photo.comp -->
<!-- BEGIN Component: SierraStar : component/storylevel/mainimage.comp --> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="252"><tbody><tr><td> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="252"><tbody><tr><td>http://www.sierrastar.com/ips_rich_content/149-kstar_p0725_bear.jpg
</td></tr><tr><td>Black bears have been seen more often this year. Experts say the cause is likely a food shortage, resulting from severe dry conditions in the area.
Photo courtesy of Yosemite National Park</td></tr><tr><td>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
</td></tr></tbody></table> <!-- END Component: SierraStar : component/storylevel/mainimage.comp -->
Yes, and happily, too, if it has enough food and hasn't learned that trash cans are a lot easier to open than anthills.
That's where the trouble starts, said Clu Cotter of the California Department of Fish and Game.
In a drought year like this one, when natural food is scarce, bears start looking around for more places to get food. That food may be yours.
Cotter said bear sightings are up this year in the Mountain Area.
"For the bears, it's all about the calories," he said. "They are just looking for food."
The black bear -- it can be any bearish color from brown to black -- is California's only remaining wild ursine. Small by some standards, females typically weigh from 100 to 200 pounds and males from 150 to 350, although there have been some 600 pounders certified.
That's a lot of body mass to keep in motion.
The Fish and Game Web site, www.dfg.ca.gov (http://www.dfg.ca.gov/), states: "Bears commonly consume ants and other insects in summer, but prefer nut crops, especially acorns, and manzanita berries in the fall. As omnivores, black bears will eat whatever seems edible. Mostly they are plant eaters. Bears frequently adapt to human presence, often because bears are attracted to human garbage, pet food and other food items. In suburban areas and mountain communities, bears may damage private property while foraging. These events are most likely to occur in spring if natural foods are scarce, or in late summer and fall, especially during years of poor berry and acorn yields."
"The bears aren't destructive," Cotter said, "but if they need to rip up a tent or go through a fence to get to an easy source of food, they will. They don't just get it in their heads to start tearing stuff up. They've been trained that that's the fastest way to get to the food."
Cotter, Adrienne Freeman of Yosemite National Park and Scott Henderson of Calvin Crest camp all agree: if you have a problem with bears, it's up to you to do something about it.
Cotter has several tips for dealing with hungry bears.
(http://topix.net/r/07lUe3DDGoDdEToce6O4L2X5weIgEd5E1BpLeRIhBphjTxdljc nnJ47LWaFdJe9wpQmC0ZBydEtLhZEUEjrLxVWgywl3VBsPOrkf vHk5EjLj=2FggMlWwZt8=2BOvnclaiQK9)
more... (http://topix.net/r/07lUe3DDGoDdEToce6O4L2X5weIgEd5E1BpLeRIhBphjTxdljc nnJ47LWaFdJe9wpQmC0ZBydEtLhZEUEjrLxVWgywl3VBsPOrkf vHk5EjLj=2FggMlWwZt8=2BOvnclaiQK9)
via Sierra Star (http://topix.net/r/07lUe3DDGoDdEToce6O4L2X5weIgEd5E1BpLeRIhBphjTxdljc nnJ47LWaFdJe9wpQmC0ZBydEtLhZEUEjrLxVWgywl3VBsPOrkf vHk5EjLj=2FggMlWwZt8=2BOvnclaiQK9)
Black bears have been seen more often this year. Experts say the cause is likely a food shortage, resulting from severe dry conditions in the area.
Photo courtesy of Yosemite National Park