GA Dept. of Natural Resources Warns Against Leaving Food for Bears to Find
It is that time of year when black bears are on the prowl, foraging for food and Georgia Department of Natural Resources officials are reminding people to make sure you don’t leave food out where a bear can find it.
DNR Law enforcement officer Craig Fulghum said it’s not unusual to see bears this time of year in our area.
In addition to nuts and berries they find in the woods, bears love a free meal and they will sometimes try to get that by getting into your garbage.
The DNR said garbage is irresistible to a hungry black bear – especially after a long winter’s nap.
Fulghum said bears will change their normal movement patterns and “hang out” in areas where there is an abundant supply of garbage, bird seed, pet foods, and other non-natural food sources.
So what can you do?
Fulghum said one of the first and most important things to do is to stash your trash to resolve potential human-bear conflicts.
Other things you can do to keep bears from bothering your trash include installing an electric fence around garbage storage area, remove food scraps from grills and fire pits daily, and rinse food cans and wrappers before disposal.
Also keep garbage cans clean and periodically deodorize them.
And Fulghum said if you see a baby bear, don’t approach it because mama bear may not take kindly to that.
Now Fulghum said if you have a nuisance bear that will not leave your property you can call the DNR and they will come and remove the bear and relocate it.
For more information regarding black bears,you can go online to www.georgiawildlife.com/