Relocating eight bears in a 24 hour period is not normal, but it’s exactly what Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) Officers Brandon Wear and Andrew Ward undertook in Polk County on July 10 and 11. After responding to initial calls of a female and cubs in a camp, Officer Wear assessed the situation and asked the typical questions regarding bear reports. “Is anyone in harm’s way? Why are they here and what is the attractant?”
Wildlife Officers immediately understood what was inviting and keeping a female and her triplets in the area.
The smell of food and easily accessible trash were providing effortless meals for the black bears. “Food attractants are most often the cause” stated Wildlife Officer Brandon Wear. “Although the bears had been hazed, easily obtained food kept them coming back”.
Within ten minutes of setting a trap, the Wildlife Officers captured the female. With a plan in place to catch the triplets and keep them with their mother, the Wildlife Officers were surprised to receive another call and find and additional female with a set of triplets heading to an unsecured trash dumpster at the same location. This female was quickly captured too and by the following afternoon all six cubs were with their mothers and relocated.
It sounds like a happy ending. However, as Wildlife Officer Wear explains, “Relocating a bear isn’t the best solution. It’s overwhelmingly stressful and comes with many risks”. Wear continued, “The best solution is to remove the attractant and this typically means changing human behavior. The only other alternative is euthanasia. People truly hold the key to keeping bears safe”.
TWRA has established policies that guide employees when dealing with bears. Every situation is assessed. Wildlife Officers factor in human safety, the bear’s behavior and history in an area and in this situation, the presence of cubs. Wildlife Officers are highly trained and all are required to hold degrees in wildlife or fisheries management. Wildlife Officer Wear holds a master’s degree which he obtained while studying black bears. “Human attractants are most often the reason bears change their behavior and become a nuisance” shared Wildlife Officer Wear. His partner, Wildlife Officer Ward added, “It’s risk verses reward. Any bear will take an easy meal for herself and her cubs verses spending lots of time traversing lots of territory to find food”.
Both Polk County black bears were tagged and their upper lip was tattooed. This will allow officers to know if the bears come back to the area or cause problems elsewhere. Wildlife Officer Wear shared, “There is a chance that they’ll come back. We hope they don’t. The best deterrent is not providing an easy meal for them”. It’s ok if a bear passes through your yard. It’s detrimental to the animal if you provide any type of food. Secure trash cans, consider removing bird feeders, keep ripe fruits and vegetables picked and secure compost areas”.
TWRA is proud of the great service Wildlife Officers provided to keep both bears and humans safe. Wildlife Officer Wear summed up the day by sharing, “Humans are a determining factor for successful coexistence with this animal. We hope our residents do their part”. For more information on living with black bear visit: http://www.bebearaware.org/