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As spring reaches its full bloom and summer
approaches, Durango once again plays host to a visitor from the mountains.
Black Bears, Ursus Americanus, have awoken from their winter slumber and
are again revisiting their favorite feeding sites, including the local trash
cans left out overnight. The visits were particularly frequent during last
year’s severe drought. However, since our precipitation and snowpack
are still not back to normal levels, wild food sources may prove to be slim
again this year. This issue of bears and trash will be addressed below,
but first let’s discuss some interesting Black Bear natural history.
The Black Bear is typically a solitary animal, with the
exceptions being mother bears, which have a close bond with their offspring,
and the pairing of bears during the mating season, which takes place in
June or July. Mothers have the young in January or February, while still
in the den. Usually two young are born, but there may be as few as one or
as many as four. A group of bears is referred to as a sloth, after the Middle
English slowthe, meaning slow. This term is quite inaccurate, since bears
can move at speeds of up to 30 mph. In addition, since it is rare to see
a group of bears anyway, unless it is a mother with her cubs, and this term
is rarely used.
Black Bears at one time were not considered hibernators
since this term was defined purely in terms of body temperature reduction.
A hibernating bear’s heart rate slows dramatically, but its average
body temperature only declines slightly. However, when hibernation is more
accurately defined to include a slowed heart rate and decreased metabolism,
bears are considered very efficient hibernators. Hibernating bears survive
entirely on their stored fat, and they may lose up to 30% of their body
weight throughout the winter. As they emerge from their den, bears are ravenous
and anxious to engage in some rebound eating. Bears are omnivorous, eating
anything from berries to dead carrion. Bear lips, unlike the lips of other
animals, are not directly attached to the gums, making them extremely dexterous
in slurping ants, grubs, berries or other delicacies.
The North American Bear Center in Ely, Minnesota, reports
that the greatest misconception about black bears is that they will attack
people in defense of their cubs. This is a grizzly bear trait that is mistakenly
attributed to black bears. There are no recorded incidents of a black bear
killing a human in defense of cubs, while 70% of grizzly bear killings of
people are for this reason. There are no known grizzlies in our area.
Bears and garbage are a recurring sad story in our
local media. Bears tagged as problem bears are removed from the area,
and then destroyed if they are a nuisance again – two strikes and
they are dead. We must do everything possible to minimize the tantalizing
food sources they leave out for bears, such as garbage, bird feeders,
pet food, or other irresistible (for a bear) goodies. Bears are only doing
what comes naturally when they forage in our backyards. It is OUR fault
if they bear ultimately dies because of our discretions. For more information
or to become a DOW Bear Aware Volunteer, contact the Division of Wildlife
at 247-0855.
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