Securing attractants can reduce conflicts with wildlife

BOZEMAN – Many conflicts with wildlife stem from unsecured garbage, food and other attractants in human-occupied areas.

Wildlife commonly travel through urban areas in southwestern Montana. Wildlife, including bears, that become conditioned to seeking and obtaining food from humans quickly lose their wariness of humans and their interest in foraging for natural food items. This happens when they find human sources of food like garbage, bird feeders, pet food and other attractants stored in unsecured places around homes and neighborhoods.

Most recently, a black bear and two cubs were feeding on garbage in Butte. The behavior had become habitual and presented a human safety concern. Bears who habitually seek food from human sources cannot be rehabilitated and most often return to those areas even after being relocated. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials euthanized the adult female and took the two cubs to FWP’s wildlife rehabilitation facility in Helena.  

Promptly reporting bear activity in and around urban environments can make a difference for the health of the bear and the safety of communities. Some corrective management efforts, when applied early, can be effective in discouraging bears from being close to humans and reduce future conflicts. When bear conflicts go unreported and are allowed to continue, bears can become food conditioned and habituated to human-occupied areas, creating human safety risks that may require the bear to be removed.

Montana is bear country

Fortunately, attractant-related conflicts with wildlife are preventable.

Residents, businesses and visitors should store food, garbage and other attractants securely indoors or in certified bear-resistant containers. Intentionally or negligently feeding wildlife, including bears, is illegal in Montana and can lead to fines and other penalties.

Black bears can be found almost anywhere in Montana. Grizzly bear populations continue to become denser and more widespread in the state, increasing the likelihood that residents and recreationists will encounter them in more places each year. People should be prepared to encounter grizzly bears in the western two-thirds of Montana, including places where grizzly bears haven’t been present for decades.

Avoiding conflicts with bears is easier than dealing with such conflicts. Here are some precautions to help residents, recreationists and people who work outdoors avoid negative bear encounters:

• Carry bear spray and be prepared to use it immediately.
• Travel in groups whenever possible and make noise, which can help alert bears to your presence.
• Stay away from animal carcasses, which often attract bears.
• Watch for signs of bears such as bear scat, diggings, torn-up logs, turned-over rocks, and partly consumed animal carcasses.
• Follow food storage orders from the applicable land management agency.
• If you encounter a bear, never approach it.
• Keep garbage, bird feeders, pet food and other attractants put away in a secure building from March until December. Keep garbage in a secure building until the day it is collected. Certified bear-resistant garbage containers are available in many areas.
• Never feed wildlife. Bears that become food conditioned lose their natural foraging behavior and pose threats to human safety.

For more information, resources and education events on bear safety, click here.