Every week, Fannin County residents leave piles of delicious and accessible free food outside their homes... At least, from the perspective of a bear.
But that isn’t a good thing for people or bears, founder and CEO of Appalachian Friends of the Bears Gerald Hodge said.
“Two thirds of all human-bear conflict is related to trash,” he said.
Bears always use their amazing sense of smell to find free food, Hodge said.
“They follow their noses,” he said.
Therefore, it’s the responsibility of people to keep garbage and food away from the bears.
They can do so by washing their garbage, storing it in bear-resistant trash cans and removing it regularly, Hodge said.
Bear-resistant trash cans should be brands tested by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee.
People also shouldn’t put up any kind of animal or bird feeder, because these can attract bears too.
If someone is visiting Fannin and doesn’t have a bear-resistant trash can at their rental property, they should request one from their host, Hodge said.
Doing these things gives bears lower incentives to
Of course, there’s no such thing as a bear-proof trash can, Hodge said.
“People underestimate the strength of a bear,” he said.
Bears are nearly five times as strong as a human being in bite force alone, he added.
On June 10, a bear wandered onto Hodge’s property, used his gutter downspout as a chew toy, ripped open his bags of woodchips, and tore up the top of his stone wall to get at an anthill.
Although taking care of trash is the most important way to protect bears, driving safely is also important, Hodge said.
Even though bears are arguably the third-most intelligent animal on earth, they aren’t well-adapted at understanding cars.
Careful driving can save their lives, Hodge said.
If people encounter bears while walking, it’s important to understand how they work, Hodge said.
“It’s like going to a foreign country,” Hodge said. “You want to know some customs and courtesies.”
If a bear is vocal, swats the ground, huffs, or makes a bluff charge, they are saying that they’re nervous that you are in their space, he said.
You should back away slowly. Turning and running is dangerous.
If a bear seems quiet and focused on you with its head low, it is interested in you.
This situation is very dangerous, Hodge said. You should be loud, act large, group up with others, and try to get the bear to leave.
Whatever the situation, you should have bear spray ready, and always carry some while in bear country, Hodge said.
It feels wrong to see a bear die unnecessarily, Hodge said.
“It bothered me that no one really seemed to give a crap about it,” he said.
But by being wise in the way they live, people can often avoid this possibility.
“Bears are one of God’s greater creations,” he said.