Baby, it’s cold outside, but that doesn’t mean the bears have nestled in for a long winter’s nap.
As long as bears are finding local sources of food, they won’t go into hibernation. The North Shore Black Bear Society says it is still getting many reports of bears wandering into local backyards being drawn by the smell of seed- and suet-filled birdfeeders.
“We have a few of them still coming out,” said Christine Miller, education co-ordinator for the Black Bear Society. “My guess is that they’re probably denning in the green spaces and forested areas not so far away from people. People think they go way up into the mountains but they’re not so far away, and they just get up for nighttime snacks.”
The sightings have been reported from Blueridge, Edgemont, the British Properties, Gleneagles, where there is a mother with three cubs, as well as the area around Murdo Frazer Park, Miller said.
Miller said it wouldn’t be realistic or fair to ask people to take in all their bird feeders, but she’s suggesting they only put them out in the daytime, lest the bears become too habituated and at risk of being shot.
In the event that bad weather delays garbage pickup, Miller said residents should bring their garbage pails indoors so as not to tempt the bears.
