The Black Bears that inhabit the mountains around Lake Tahoe have been foraging for food up to 20 hours a day as winter has approached. The diet of wild bears consists of berries, plants, nuts, roots, honey (remember Winnie the Pooh?), honeycomb, insects, larvae, carrion and small mammals. During fall, they are working to store enough fat to sustain them through winter hibernation. Black bears often hibernate in large hollow trees 40 to 60 feet off the ground!
While many people know that allowing bears to find food (including garbage) on our properties is a bad practice, few are aware of the extra problems caused by this in winter. If hungry bears find any human-caused sources of food at this time of year, they can decide to “stay up late” instead of hibernating. This not only disrupts their biological clock, it also reinforces the bear’s habit of loitering in human neighborhoods. Bears might decide to take winter naps out of the snow, in a crawl space under a house or under a deck. This of course poses extra danger for children or adults who might disturb the sleep of a bear in their neighborhood.
Because of the danger of bears that become habituated to human sources of food, the phrase “A fed bear is a dead bear” is just as true in winter as summer. When bears begin invading our yards and garbage cans, they pose a danger to unaware humans, so they are often destroyed. Furthermore, a groggy, sleep-deprived bear in winter is likely to be hit by a car or truck and killed.
Here are some facts and some pointers about our local bears:
All wild bears inhabiting California and Nevada are black bears, no matter what color (they are often brown or even blonde). Black bears do not eat people. They avoid confrontation with humans. If encountered, always leave them an escape route. They are opportunistic feeders and will look for an easy meal of garbage, pet food, etc.
Once a bear finds food on your property, it will never forget and will return many times hoping for more food. Bears follow their noses and are thinking of food whenever they aren’t asleep. Be sure to keep anything edible completely inaccessible all the time. It is now illegal to put garbage out before the morning of trash collection in anything other than a metal bear-proof garbage enclosure.
Black bears naturally fear people. However, some of our bears have forgotten this because we have been too nice to them. If bears come into your yard or your campsite, you should yell, throw things at them, bang pots, and pans, and generally make them feel unwelcome. A bear that knows it is in “your den” will usually beat a retreat. It will not waste time or effort where it isn’t getting fed and especially where it is being picked on. This is called “aversive conditioning” and it works to keep our bears safe.
The most important rule of all is NEVER FEED THE BEARS! For our safety and for the sake of our bear population, we must take care to prevent any opportunities for bears to come into our neighborhoods and find food. For more information on bears in the Tahoe Basin, please contact the following resources in your area:
The Lake Tahoe Report 044
Air Date: 2003.12.02
Video Segment: Living With Bears
Interviewees: Carl Lakhe (NDOW)