Community Corner

Humans, Bears and the Foothills: Here's What to Do

It's hot and bears want to cool off too, so if you live in the foothills, there's a chance one may make a splash in your backyard pool. Officials from the California Department of Fish and Game offer the following tips.

Black Bears have roamed the San Gabriel Mountains since 1933, back when a group of 11 bears, dubbed troublemakers, were banished to the Angeles National Forest from Yosemite National Park, according to a press release from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.

People moved in and the bears delved deeper into the forest - but they do trundle down the mountain when they're hungry and hot. On Saturday, b and this past spring, made several apperances before the California Department of Fish and Game sedated him and returned him to the forest.

In fact, encounters with black bears have been numerous during the past 15 years. Foothill neighborhoods are especially apt to have bear visitors during summer and fall months, particularly when it is dry and hot. Eating from fruit trees and drinking from and swimming in pools, spas and ponds are activities which will most likely increase if the bear populations continue to increase.

Find out what's happening in La Cañada Flintridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Bear Facts, Courtesy DFG: 

• It is always wise to give a bear as much room as you possibly can. If you see a bear in a residential community, leave the area and call 9-1-1. 

• Bears don't want to play, they just want humans to go away. 

• Gatherings of people watching the bears, smelling like humans and making noises scare the bears. Once scared, they just want to go home to the forest. You can help them by going home too. 

• Bears are wild animals and unpredictable. 

• Mama bears are especially protective of their cubs. 

Find out what's happening in La Cañada Flintridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 Stash Your Food and Trash

Bears and other animals are attracted to anything edible or smelly. So, store garbage in bear-proof containers, or store garbage in your garage until pick-up. 

• Keep food indoors or in airtight and odor-free containers. 

• Put away picnic leftovers; clean BBQ grills. 

• Keep pet food inside, and bird feeders away. 

• Pick up fallen tree fruit as soon as possible, or protect fruit trees with electric fencing. 

When You're Camping, You're on Their Turf

• Keep a close watch on children, and teach them what to do if they encounter a bear. 

• While hiking, make noise to avoid a surprise encounter with a bear. 

• Never keep food in your tent. 

• Store food and toiletries in bear-proof containers or in an airtight container in the trunk of your vehicle. 

• Keep a clean camp by cleaning up and storing food and garbage immediately after meals.

• Use bear-proof garbage cans whenever possible or store your garbage in a secure location with your food. 

• Never approach a bear or pick up a bear cub. 

• If you encounter a bear, do not run; instead, face the animal, make noise and try to appear as large as possible. 

• If a bear attacks a person, immediately call 911. 

• When wild animals are allowed to feed on human food and garbage, they lose their natural ways – often resulting in death for the animal. 

For more inormation about how to interact - or not - with wild life, you may 
subscribe to DFG News via e-mail or RSS feed. Go to http://www.dfg.ca.gov/news


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