Bear activity on rise as they fatten up for winter, North Carolina officials say
Bears are gearing up for hibernation, and their quest for food could bring them closer to humans in North Carolina.
Bear activity increases in the fall, when the animals eat more than usual to fatten up for the winter, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission said last week in a news release.
“To find those extra calories, bears will often forage outside of their normal ranges, venturing near homes, campgrounds and trails, and trying to cross busy highways to find food,” officials warned in the release.
So how can you stay safe?
Bears are drawn to garbage, so it’s best to keep your trash secured inside a building or under a bear-proof lock, according to wildlife experts.
You also may want to install electric fences for gardens, take down bird feeders, bring pet food indoors and clean outdoor grills to reduce the risks of an encounter, the wildlife commission said.
Officials urge people to take these steps and avoid feeding bears directly because the animals sometimes are “protective of the food sources they find.”
If you see a bear, wildlife experts recommend avoiding any contact and slowly leaving the area.
“Don’t try to feed it or chase it off — we can’t stress this enough,” Colleen Olfenbuttel, black bear and furbearer biologist, said in the commission’s news release. “Crowds of people can unnerve a bear, perhaps causing it to act defensively.”
Black bears, the only bear species in North Carolina, have been found in eastern and western parts of the state. The animals often live in swamps or forests.
Adult females typically weigh 100 to 300 pounds, while males can grow to 700 pounds on average. The animals pack on weight during a fall period called hyperphagia, when they eat about 10 times more calories than they consume in the spring and summer, according to officials.
“In North Carolina, bears enter their dens between late October and mid-January, and emerge in March or early April, depending on the weather and food availability,” the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission said on its website.
After they emerge from their long snooze, you may want to take precautions again.
Black bears in the late spring are wandering to find mates and may be attracted to food in residential areas, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
This story was originally published October 12, 2020 at 2:59 PM with the headline "Bear activity on rise as they fatten up for winter, North Carolina officials say."
