How NOT to Attract Wildlife to your Garden


Trash cans left outside instead of in the garage
 become bear food and a mess to cleanup

Bear Country.  We live in it, respect it and are happy to be a part of it.  But, some people just don't seem to be able to follow the rules about living with wildlife.  It's not like people aren't aware of where they live. We are living where the Black Bear have been for hundreds of years so it's not like they just showed up one day. We have signs throughout the area that say "Living in Bear Country", are constantly reminded through the newspapers, local papers, HOA newsletters and the media about what NOT to do when you live with bears, and even see stories about how bears are killed because of human carelessness.  We have fines for not keeping your trash in your garage or for purposely feeding bears. 

Last week in Colorado Springs six black bears were tranquilized and then euthanized because they ventured into people's houses looking for food to get ready for winter hibernation.  Six bears, in each case a mom and 2 cubs, learned how to find human food in their own territory and were subsequently put to sleep just because they were hungry. It's not the Bear's fault.  Once a bear eats human food it's hard to get them to eat anything else. Just yesterday I looked out my window to the west and saw the neighbor's trash cans left outside, tipped over and trash strewn about.  The bear had been there in the middle of the night again. They've had this happen more than once, and each time I try to explain to them where they live and what the rules are. I have to ask myself "How hard can it be?"

Comments

  1. Kathy, your thoughts are so valid. We have good friends here in the Springs who enjoy, from a distance, the bears that amble through their yard. We fear it is just a matter of time until someone in their neighborhood is careless with their trash or "charitable" feeding and we lose more of these wonderful animals.

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  2. Good grief! Substitute baboons for bears and we have the same problems with people in some suburbs of Cape Town. People lucky enough to live on the natural borders of the city, and they battle to live peacefully with baboons. We do have some baboon monitors who encourage baboons to keep away from houses. http://www.baboonmatters.org.za/

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  3. I can understand your concern. For our conditions it is more understandable to be irresponsible and a bit stupid than being cruel to animals. Our dog just received double cruelty when it went out to be with a female dog somewhere, and a cruel "suposed to be human, but actually not" stab the back of the ear, and then after 3 days, stab again the other ears. The knife hit the back base, thanks God it did not hit the skull. After a long suffering with medication it is now healed. I just leave it to karma for the person subhuman to do that!

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  4. The people who don't get that we share the earth with animals are people I don't get. Nor do I want to. It's such a no brainer to keep your garbage locked up, but perhaps not for the no brainers! Good post

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  5. I wish the campers in our area would get a clue. They are slobs.
    We are extra careful with our trash now. A bear broke into my sisters car when she was visiting. And now she is scared of my house.

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  6. Sometimes people just don't get it. It is so unfair for the bears and surrounding neighbors.

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