California’s black bears are smart and resourceful. They eat anything – fruit, nuts, insects, human food and pet food. They like bird feeders. They poached mountain lions and killed what they found. It is called kleptoparositis. They can open an unlocked car door with their bottom teeth. If they find a way to get into your home and kitchen, they can open jars of peanut butter and jam, and of course honey.
They are the only bear species in the state, and despite their name, their fur ranges from blonde to black. It has been a century since the Grizzly Bear became extinct in California, and ironically, its image remains only on the state flag.
Estimating the numbers of black bears is a vibrant exercise. In its draft black bear conservation program, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates (using the new methodology) about 65,000 people and says it has been stable for a decade. (For years, the department used less advanced statistical modeling to estimate the population of 35,000.) Wildlife strategist Wendy Keefover is the animal world of humanity (formerly a humanitarian society in the United States) – guessing the numbers is just a guess, she thinks not to overemphasize it, because vertices like bears have scattered vertices like bears with little padding and hard to spread.
No matter what happened to the bear population, we can all know for sure that reports on bear interactions are increasing. According to the Ministry of Fish and Wildlife, reports have been increasing for decades – not because of more bears, but because of more people living and vacationing in the bear area. There were an average of 674 reports per year from 2017 to 2020, but in 2021 and 2022, the highest was 1,678 times a year.
California parliamentary woman Heather Hadwick (R-Alturas) has an area that includes one of the hot spots, which introduced Bill 1038, which will enable hunters to fog bears by chasing dogs (but don’t kill them). During the bear hunting season, the Hunter vs. Bears Hounds were banned by the Legislature in 2012 and should not come back even if the Hunter does not intend to kill the Bears.
As in 2012, the Bears remained cruel, and the Bears ended up exhausted and clinging to a tree. Dogs and bears may fight. It is not clear how to chase a random bear, perhaps in the forest, will prevent it from feeding around humans. (The Ministry of Fish and Wildlife has allowed bears with problems, especially in communities or near livestock, to be fascinated by dogs in limited circumstances.)
Another part of the Hadwick Act will authorize the Fish and Games Commission to decide whether hunters can use hounds again to hunt and kill bears. The Legislature has banned this practice and has no meaning to abandon the power of the injunction to the appointed committee.
Although the proposal of the bill does not help, the experience of the bear man is dangerous and should be minimized. There are better ways to do this. The department and animal welfare advocates strongly urge Californians to find ways to make homes, cars, campgrounds and farms unattractive to bears. There are a lot of suggestions. Bears love to smelly food. Don’t leave any food outside. Use a trash can with bear latch. Remove all the food from the car and lock the car door. On the door, put down the mat and cause a mild electric shock when the bears step on them. They are called “unwelcome mats.” The crawling space under the deck should be fixed. Remove the bird feeder from your yard.
Livestock should be kept in a safe pen at night. Electric fences can be installed around the chicken coop and the shell. For bears who keep peeping around houses or livestock, there are some tricks that don’t involve dogs chasing them. Motion-activated lights, noise makers and alarms can scare the bears.
Don’t feed them. In fact, California is banned. But, Ann Bryant, executive director and founder of the Tahoe Basin, said that anyway, some vacationers do this, putting food outside, wherever they want to attract bears and then taking photos. It works – and then the bears come back and look forward to more food. At that time, volunteers from Bryant’s organization could help people live more harmoniously with the bears, and he received calls from people who wanted to know how to stop the bears from coming.
Kobe’s advice is simple and straightforward: Stop pulling out food, if the bear appears again: “You step on your feet and yell, ‘Take it here!’ You’re removing his confidence that people will be kind and feed them. You have to let the bear know the party is over.”
So, using all these methods, why are bears constantly everywhere? “These methods do work,” said Peter Tira, a spokesman for fish and wildlife. They just need to adopt more broadly: “The key is ongoing education and awareness that develops good habits that attract residents and tourists to the bear country.”
The information will be conveyed more actively by the department. But, Bryant said: “Here are some tips that visitors should remember: “I’ve been thinking in my mind, ‘I’m in Bear Country. ””
