This time of year, young male bears are roaming and often stumbling into what’s considered non-traditional bear range, including urbanized areas and suburbs...
A black bear sighting in Roswell this week sparked concern among local residents. The sighting, though a seemingly rare experience for metro Atlantans, comes as no surprise given that seasonal bear activity is increasing. This time of year, young male bears are roaming and often stumbling into what’s considered non-traditional bear range, including urbanized areas and suburbs.
When most people think bears, they immediately think mountains. Yet, a black bear sighting in an urban area, especially during the springtime, isn’t altogether unusual. That’s because during the spring and summer, young male bears on their own for the first time are experiencing territorial competition with other adult male bears. Adult males typically force these young males out of familiar and traditional bear range-territory. As a result, young males continue to roam as they try to establish their own territory, which sometimes temporarily leads them into neighborhoods or other more heavily populated urban areas.
In an effort to curb the instinctive alarm residents in these areas may experience when a bear is sighted, Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) biologists want to inform residents of the increased possibility of black bear sightings this spring and summer and educate them on how best to react.
“If a black bear is sighted passing through an area, the best thing to do is to leave it alone,” said Adam Hammond, WRD wildlife biologist. “Residents should never approach a bear and never, under any circumstances, feed a bear. Even worse, attempting to ‘tree’ or corner a bear in a certain area often compromises both the safety and welfare of the bear and the safety of the residents in the surrounding area.”
If left alone, these young male bears, often referred to as ‘transient’ bears, will eventually make their way back to traditional bear range. Traditional bear range in Georgia is defined as three areas - the north Georgia mountains, the Ocmulgee River drainage system in central Georgia and the Okefenokee Swamp in the southeast.
It is possible that residents in north Georgia may see even more bears as WRD biologists in this part of the state receive numerous reports of bear sightings, indicating that this portion of the bear population is healthy and may be experiencing range expansion.
“Unless there is evidence of aggressive behavior, or if a bear is continually getting into garbage or other non-natural food sources (i.e. birdseed, compost piles, grills and pet food), there’s no real cause for alarm,” Hammond said.
While there’s no way to prevent a young male bear from wandering into a neighborhood, there are a few things people can do to prevent the bear from taking up residence. The following tips are recommended to help lessen human-bear conflicts:
· Never, under any circumstances, feed a bear. Such activity is unlawful.
· Keep items, such as grills, pet food or bird feeders off-limits to bears. Clean and store grills when not in use. Keep pet food indoors and take bird feeders down if bears are in the area.
· Convert to ‘bear-proof’ garbage containers, or store garbage in the garage or other enclosed area until pick-up day.
For more information regarding black bears, visit www.georgiawildlife.com or contact a WRD Game Management office. The public also can visit their local library to check out a copy of an informational DVD entitled, “Where Bears Belong: Black Bears in Georgia.”