During the summer of 2009, black bear sitings in businesses, residences, and public areas in the City of Aspen, Colorado were reported on an hourly basis. Keeping the bears at bay has become a 24/7 effort for the police and Colorado Division of Wildlife. Despite educational efforts and non-compliance fines, citizens and businesses continue to be careless with garbage disposal and building security.
Black Bear Feeding Habits
In their native habitat, black bears eat berries, plants, nuts, roots, honey, honeycomb, insects, larvae, carrion, and small mammals. In the fall, these bears enter a state of “hyperphagia”, a feeding frenzy during which they increase the amount of fruits and nuts they eat in preparation for hibernation. During this time, bears can consume up to 20,000 calories a day, storing enough fat to sustain them through hibernation. When those food sources are unavailable, bears will look elsewhere. Dumpsters and garbage cans are easy targets for bear treats, be it dog food, fruit, or fried chicken. And, if garbage is unavailable, birdfeeders and bar-b-ques are targets. It’s an endless cycle, predicated by a lack of natural food sources and a generation of garbage-dependent bears.
Bear-Proofing
Many mountain communities are implementing strict policies and ordinances about trash collection and containment. Substandard dumpsters and trash cans are no longer an option for restaurants, businesses and residential properties. Dumpsters cannot have a gap of more than two inches, and bear-bars, locks or fasteners should be in place at all times. In Aspen, homeowners who leave garbage out for extended periods of time, and business owners with faulty dumpsters are fined. Homeowners are asked to lock their doors and windows at all times, take in their birdfeeders at night, close garage doors, and leave no trace of food outside a residence.
Living with Bears
The Colorado Division of Wildlife and local municipalities use websites and newspapers to circulate "Bear Aware" information. The following procedures are simple ways in which humans can take responsibility for keeping the bears at bay.
- Keep garbage in a secure location. It should be out of reach and smell of bears.
- Ensure that vehicles are locked and free of trash, groceries, or animal food.
- Do not dispose of any kind of fruit or other foods in compost piles.
- Birdfeeders should be outside from November through mid-April only. Hang feeders so they are inaccessible to bears.
- Keep garage doors, entry doors and windows closed and locked at all times.
- Use community-approved bear-resistant garbage containers.
- Put trash out on collection day only.
- Keep bar-b-que grills clean.
- Harvest fruit off trees as soon as it is ripe and remove fallen fruit from base of trees.
- Keep pet food inside.
A Fed Bear is a Dead Bear
Garbage-dependent bears can become aggressive and fearless. According to the Division of Wildlife's two-strikes policy, a nuisance bear will be relocated on its first offense. A second offense, particularly one where the bear has repeatedly broken into homes, requires that the bear be destoyed. The policy is not something that anyone feels good about, however, as long as garbage is easily available, the bruins will continue to forage in the alleys and neighborhoods of mountain towns.
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