From the Extension: Be mindful of your neighbors the bears – Daily Commercial

Meg Brew| UF/IFAS, Lake County Extension

As residents of Lake County, we share our habitat with the Florida black bear (Ursus americanus floridansus), the only species of bear found in Florida. Once considered a threatened species, the black bear is now thriving with an estimated populated of more than 4,000 bears (as of 2018).

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Compared to their more fearsome cousins, like the Grizzly, the Florida black bear is not considered an especially aggressive animal. However, when they become food conditioned and lose their sense of fear, the potential for human-bear conflict is far more likely.

Like us, black bears are omnivorous. Their natural diets are largely plant-based with 80 percentof their daily meals being comprised of nuts, berries, and acorns. They will readily consume insects such as termites, ants, and grubs to the tune of 15 percentof their diet and make up the remaining 5 percentby scavenging for the carrion of small mammals like opossums.

These healthy eaters also have very healthy appetites, with adult males consuming up to 20,000 calories per day (thats 10times what the average adult human requires). In order to satisfy their hunger, bears are equipped with an excellent sense of smell and are able to sniff out a meal from up to a mile away.

This need to feed is what brings otherwise shy bears into close contact with humans, and this close contact can lead to conflict.

Human homes often feature a high-calorie smorgasbord of easily accessible food: trash cans fullof fragrant rotting garbage, barbecue grills plastered with the residue of recently grilled meat, yards full of fruit trees ripe for the picking, cat food bowls filled to the brim, and birdseed in feeders just waiting to be raided.

These temptations draw bears in and keep them in close proximity to neighborhoods. The promise of an all-you-can-eat buffet eventually becomes more compelling than their innate desire to avoid humans.

Bears and humans are both growing in population, leading to an inevitable increase in the number of human-bear conflicts.As residents of bear country, we have an important role to play in preventing these conflicts.

By eliminating, or at least minimizing, negative interactions with bears we can enjoy safer neighborhoods while at the same time knowing that bears will be less likely to face euthanasia because of losing their fear of humans and becoming aggressive in their pursuit of food.

Purchasing, and using, a bear-resistant trash can is a good way to prevent bears from accessing your refuse. Ideally, your cans should be stored in a closed garage or other secure structure until the morning of pickup.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has instructions on how you can retrofit your existing trashcan to become more bear resistant https://myfwc.com/media/20202/combined-retrofit-kit-directions.pdf.

Everyone loves a good BBQ, including bears. After you grill out, or use a smoker, be sure to thoroughly clean your grill/smoker and store it in a secure area where a bear cannot help himself to leftovers.

If you enjoy feeding birds, take care to assure that birds are all you are feeding by hanging feeders at least 10 feet off the ground and fourfeet from any attachment points. Use a catch pan to capture waste seed and only put out enough seed to last a single day, bringing in the feeder at night.

Of course, bird seed is not the only animal feed that attracts bears they will readily help themselves to pet and livestock feed if available. When feeding your animals, only put out enough feed for a single day, bring in leftovers, and dont leave feed out overnight. Store feed inside if possible, and in airtight containers to keep the smell from attracting a would-be bear burglar.

By taking these simple steps we can help to keep bears wild, and our neighborhoods safe. For more information on being bear aware please visit https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/UW389 from which this article was adapted. To report problem bears in your neighborhood, please contact the FWC at 352-732-1225.

UF/IFAS Lake County Extension is open regular business hours8 a.m. to5 p.m. Monday through Friday or visit us online anytime at sfyl.ifas.uf.edu/lake and follow UF/IFAS Lake County Extension on Facebook. Our Gardens are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the same days, as well as the 3rd Saturday of every month.

An Equal Opportunity Institution. UF/IFAS Extension, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Andra Johnson, Dean for UF/IFAS Extension.

Single copies of UF/IFAS Extension publications (excluding 4-H and youth publications) are available free to Florida residents from county UF/IFAS Extension offices

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From the Extension: Be mindful of your neighbors the bears - Daily Commercial