Bears, berries and calorie deficits
Just recently it seems every day there’s a new post on social media about bears - big and not so big -being sighted in and around the Bragg Creek/Redwood meadows area. Some people are even seeing repeat visits on consecutive days. There’ve been some fabulous photos of adults and cubs, and it’s great that people are posting about sightings and sharing their photos. Thank you to everyone who’s put info up for the rest of us. It reminds us of who our neighbours are and gives us a chance to think about our relationship to them.
While it’s always exciting to sight a bear or a family of bears, we have to keep in mind the reasons why we’re seeing them and what it might mean for them. If you live in this area you know that this is the time of year when bears are fattening up and getting ready for the lo-o-o-ong sleep. They have to take in an absolutely huge number of calories in order to do this, and they are totally focussed on getting their 15,000 to 20,000 calorie a day from fruits, berries, nuts etc. with little time for anything else, even sleep. This is called hyperphagia.
This year there’s an added burden for the bears: a poor crop of buffaloberry (shepherdia canadensis) means one of their main sources of calories is deficient right now. That’s a big driver behind their recent bin-diving and backyard foraging activity around here.
It’s a precarious situation, which could lead to harm for both bears and humans. We really want to avoid any bears becoming habituated or such a nuisance that they have to be euthanized. One recent tragic story from just south of the border is a case in point. A sow grizzly and her three yearlings had to be killed last weekend in just such a scenario.
https://dailyinterlake.com/news/2021/sep/08/4-north-fork-grizzlies-killed-after-getting-garbag/
So this is really a reminder to please make sure all your family, friends and neighbours stay alert with regard to garbage and other attractants. Lock away bins (in your garage for example), clean up super thoroughly after meals outside and barbecues, harvest fruit crops and resist the temptation to have a bird feeder. Carry bear spray when out and about, or an air horn. Stay alert and stay safe.
Let’s keep posting about sightings so that we’re all aware, and so that the Bragg Creek Wild mapping project can draw on the information, too.
And let’s keep our bear neighbours wild and safe.
http://www.bearsmart.com/managing-commbear smartunities/best-practices/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/buffaloberry-bears-banff-canmore-1.6163442
