Bear caught on camera going through Carson City homeowner’s garden
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Mon, 11/20/2017 - 2:32pm
A Carson City resident checking their overnight outdoor surveillance camera found a visitor in their backyard garden early Monday, a very large bear, apparently looking for food.
The Saratoga Way homeowner said lately, due to the wind and rain, their light sensors have been flicking on throughout the late nights. It has either been wind, rain or a neighbor’s cat. When she checked the camera footage Monday morning, to her surprise there was a very large bear roaming at 12:38 a.m.
One street west of Saratoga, on Lexington Avenue, a resident's garbage can was likely a target of the bear as it was found the next morning knocked over with trash bags ripped open and strewn across the driveway.
Fall is the time of year for increased bear foraging activity and more human and bear encounters are possible, according to wildlife officials in Nevada and California.
Bears are typically active and foraging between April and mid-fall, but in fall, black bears experience changes in metabolism that drives the need to consume as many rich calories as possible.
Motivated by signals from nature known as zeitgebers, the bears increase their daily caloric intake from 3,000 calories per day to upwards of 25,000 calories per day, according to the Nevada Department of Wildlife.
Areas most at risk of attracting bears by granting access to garbage and other attractants are the Tahoe Basin, west Carson City and the foothill areas of Douglas and Washoe counties.
This metabolic spike is an important signal to the bear to bulk up and gain the fat that will sustain the animal through hibernation and periods of lean food sources. Scientists estimate that black bears may forage as many as 20 hours a day at this time.
During this transition, residents in bear country are asked to diligently manage food, garbage and other attractants around the home and yard in order to avoid attracting bears. Crawl spaces under houses or porches should be sealed in order to prevent them from becoming denning sites.
Here are things to know:
— Bears have a sense of smell seven times stronger than a bloodhound and eyesight as good as a human's
— Any scent, especially one of odorous foods like fish or other meats, may attract a bear to your home and yard
— Remove bird feeders completely until later in the year
— Remove fallen fruit off the ground promptly
— Use bear-resistant garbage cans and wait to set trash out until the day of pick up
— Store pet food inside
— Do not leave food or other scented items around.
— Bears fed intentionally or unintentionally by people may become bold and aggressive-they may be killed if they become a threat to public safety or cause property damage
In the rare event a bear breaks into your home, move to a safe location and contact local authorities. Wildlife experts caution against directly confronting the bear or blocking the bear's escape route.
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