Bears are on the move
4/8/2020 9:27:04 AM
From MDWFP Wildlife Bureau
The warmer days of spring and the annual greening up of the landscape brings with it increased activity by black bears throughout the state. Although our bears do not truly hibernate, they do exhibit a period of torpor, or decreased activity during the winter months. This is primarily due to a lack of adequate food resources to sustain them and also because females are denned up giving birth to cubs during this time. As bears become more active, they are actively searching for food which may bring them into conflict with humans living in bear-occupied areas of Mississippi.
MDWFP has partnered with other southeastern states to create BearWise https://bearwise.org/), a website resource to share ways to prevent conflicts, provide resources to resolve problems, and encourage community initiatives to keep bears wild.
The Six BearWise Basics are:
➼ Never Feed or Approach Bears
➼Secure Food, Garbage and Recycling
➼ Remove Bird Feeders When Bears Are Active
➼ Never Leave Pet Food Outdoors
➼ Clean & Store Grills
➼ Alert Neighbors to Bear Activity
These are all preventative measures which, if implemented, usually will prevent any potential human-bear conflicts. Remember, bears’ activities are normally guided by their desire to find a readily and easily available food source. Over 90% of a black bear’s diet is plant material (grass, forbs, berries, nuts, acorns) and in early Spring most of these resources are not yet available on the landscape.
To learn more about bears, please visit www.BearWise.org and if you would like to report a bear sighting, please visit http://www.mdwfp.com/wildlife-hunting/black-bear-program/.
