With reports of a grizzly bear wandering near the Rafter J Neighborhood this weekend, Wildlife officials are reminding residents to increase their efforts to be Bear Aware.
On Sunday morning a grizzly was photographed south of town. Game and Fish officials responded to the reports but it is unknown what became of the bear.
Proper storage of food and other attractants are of utmost importance.
If you see a bear, contact authorities.
Understanding Bear Safety: Essential Food Storage Practices
Bears, with their keen intelligence and sharp senses, are constantly on the lookout for food. They possess vision on par with humans and a sense of smell that surpasses a dog’s, allowing them to smell food from miles away. While bears generally avoid humans, their strong memory and associative learning skills can lead them to link people with food sources, potentially causing dangerous encounters.
To mitigate these risks, it’s crucial for anyone in bear country to use bear-resistant containers for storing food and other attractants. Many campsites provide steel food storage lockers specifically for this purpose, ensuring that bears cannot access anything that might lure them closer to human areas.
Items that we might not immediately consider as attractants include non-food products like toothpaste, shampoo, lotion, soap, and even used cooking utensils and empty cans. Pet food, bird seed, garbage, and even petroleum products can also draw bears.
Maintaining vigilance in storing these items properly not only protects you but also preserves the natural behavior of bears, preventing them from becoming accustomed to human-provided foods. For more details on how to safely store food and other products, visiting resources such as the Bear-Resistant Food Canister page https://www.fs.usda.gov/visit/know-before-you-go/bears/bear-resistant-food-canister is recommended.
By consistently using bear-resistant containers and disposing of trash correctly, we contribute to a safer environment for both humans and bears in wilderness areas.
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