Teton County residents reminded to properly store attractants to reduce human-bear conflicts

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (Idaho Fish and Game News Release) - The key to keeping Idaho bears wild is to not allow them to access human food sources

Fish and Game staff have recently received multiple reports of a sow black bear with three yearlings getting into unsecured garbages in and around Driggs. For the safety of both the community and the bears, Fish and Game is asking residents to properly store their garbage and other attractants by making them inaccessible. 

Many of these incidents occurred within Teton County’s Bear Conflict Zones, where the use of certified bear-resistant garbage containers/dumpsters that have passed the Bear-Resistant Products Testing Program is required. 

Fish and Game is working closely with community organizations to increase the outreach and education efforts in Teton Valley. Teton Valley Bear Wise, Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Teton County Sherriff’s Office and RAD Curbside have all been involved to help keep humans and bears safe.

Conflicts occur when bears score an easy meal in town

Rural areas like Teton Valley are located on the urban-wildland interface and sit right in the middle of grizzly and black bear habitat. Bears will often move through town looking for good smells and food. Unfortunately, they often find human food sources – such as garbage, pet food or bird feeders – all of which are high in calories and readily available. That’s when the problems start.

Bears are extremely intelligent and can learn very quickly to associate people with food. The presence of unsecured human food sources like residential garbage, bird feeders, dog food, chicken coops, or even fruit trees cause human/bear conflicts that rarely end well for the bears, and often means a messy, and likely unsafe, situation for a property owner.

“It is the responsibility of all of us to do our part and keep both people and bears safe,” says Curtis Hendricks, Regional Wildlife Manager. "As soon as a bear finds an easy meal like garbage, they will continue to seek out food rewards that bring them into close proximity of humans.”

It usually goes from bad to worse

Finding food inadvertently provided by people is bad for bears and people, and it often ends with a dead bear because when the animals find a regular food source in neighborhoods, they become less fearful of people.

They can grow increasingly bold and aggressive in their search for food when their efforts result in a high calorie reward. The consistent promise of food can cause a bear to overcome its fear of people and result in an increasingly dangerous situation.

When it becomes evident that a bear has become excessively habituated to that food source, or has lost its wariness of people, biologists and conservation officers often have no choice but to trap and kill the bear. In cases like these, the habituated bears cannot be moved, because research shows they will quickly travel long distances to seek out human foods in their new locations.

Keeping bears wild and away from homes takes effort and cooperation

Luckily, there are a lot of things that people can do to prevent bears from becoming habituated, protecting both the residents in their neighborhood and the bears moving through it.

The key to keeping Idaho bears wild is to not allow them to access human food sources around neighborhoods and homes. 

Following the steps below helps protect both you and the bears:

• Remove bird feeders between April and mid-November
• Feed pets inside
• Get a bear-resistant trash can and use it properly; don’t tamper with latches, prop them open, or over fill them. If you don’t have a bear-resistant can or if there is too much trash to fit in the can, keep it in a garage until the morning of pickup.
• Do not keep coolers, refrigerators, or freezers outside
• If a bear has already visited your place and found food, take the above steps right away. The bear will likely pay you a couple more visits, but if it finds no food, it will eventually move on.
• Teton County residents can report bear problems to the Upper Snake Regional Fish and Game Office: (208) 525-7290