photo by Michael Seraphin, CO Division of Wildlife
Coyotes are one thing. Grizzly bears another.
As bears stumble out of hibernation, they seek out tried and true food sources: people's garbage cans.
Bear-human encounters in Anchorage are on the rise and the folks aren't happy. Some suggest complete annihilation of the resident bear population.
Concern is warranted. A tangle with a grizzly is most likely fatal.
Last summer a teen girl was mauled early in the morning during a 24 hour bike race.. She nearly bled to death from her injuries.
Wildlife officials estimate there are about 65 brown bears in the vicinity.
Anchorage residents report bears seizing yards to defend a moose kill. Families are trapped in their homes or unable to go to their homes in such cases.
But the root of the bear problem is the same as Colorado's human/wildlife encounter problem: easy access to yummy garbage and pets.
The city will be issuing bear resistant trash bins to commercial businesses that dispose of food. Private residents will be fined anywhere from $50 to $300 for failing to put household trash in bear-proof containers. A second offense could cost upward of $800!
In the past, people were merely warned for failing to secure waste. Hopefully a more aggressive approach to garbage disposal and containment will cause hungry bears to search elsewhere - away from populated areas.
Comments
When did mountain lions start feeding on garbage?
I'm an Alaska resident and as usual these stories are blown way out of proportion. Most encounters with bears aren't fatal. More people are injured by moose than bears in Alaska each year. You are right about garbage being the problem however. Everyone moves into bear country, sits their excessive garbage waste out on their porch and are "outraged" when the animal does what instinct directs it to do. The humans are generally the idiots in these situations. Even the Petra Davis mauling during the 24 hour bike race. I'm a bike commuter and regularly see moose and bear on my commute. However, a 24 bike race scheduled to intersect a salmon stream during a spawn is a recipe for a bear encounter. Not Petra's fault but bad planning on the part of the race organizers. I love Alaska because we live with bears, moose, wolves, lynx, etc, etc. Don't move to Alaska and expect Des Moines. Rant finished for now.
Ken, you make a good point. Mountain lions don't feed on garbage. They like the deer and elk population in the open spaces as well as pets. People forget about lions and leave pets unattended or in one case, leave doors to their homes open inviting a lion inside.
Most animal-human encounters that are unpleasant are due more to human behavior.
Jeremy, thanks for putting an Alaskan perspective on the story. Wild animals are the original residents. We have similar issues here in Colorado. People want to live in a rugged, wild environment but some aren't willing to take measures to respect the wildlife.
I've never been to Alaska, but it's one of my top places to visit.
Your comment about how the bike race intersected a salmon stream during a spawn makes me want to dig more into this. That was NOT a wise decision for the race planners.
The bears are not to blame. They are being bears.
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