Don’t pile trash that will attract a hungry black bear
Trash piles can be a smorgasbord for hungry animals including GA’s black bear. Bears have been known to forgo their normal feeding grounds to hangout in areas where there is a steady flow of garbage either from overflowing trash containers or garbage cans with lids that don’t seal properly. What can you do? One of the first and most important things is to never leave food-trash were it is easily accessible.
According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, there is no way to keep the bears from wandering into your neighborhood but there are ways of discouraging them from staying.
Never feed a bear, whether intentionally or unintentionally. That means don’t feed pets on the porch, clean and store your outside grill after use and rethink the bird feeder.
Purchase “animal proof” garbage cans or better yet, keep your trash locked up in a shed or garage until the morning of trash pick-up.
If there is no food-trash for the bear to dine on they will move on to find a natural food source. It is not a good idea to connect humans and food where bears are concerned.
Most of the Georgia black bear population centers in Ocmulgee River, Okefenokee Swamp and North GA Mountains. However, that does not mean they won’t travel to other areas in search of food in the spring and early summer when food is scarce. Young male bears also travel outside of their known territory to establish their own area.
And even though the black bear is thought to be the most common bear in North America, Georgia’s Wildlife Action Plan has placed them high on their conservation list. In the 1930s they almost became extinct because of unregulated hunting and deforestation. The black bears population is now estimated around 5,000. That is a lot of bears looking for food right now!
If you are having a party or big event call R & R Container Services 770-975-9554 or visit www.randrcontainersmarietta.com to haul way all of your “food-trash” the same day. Let’s keep the bears in their natural state and our trash cans in their undamaged state.
