Outreach
Spring and Fall are busy seasons for black bears and according to the Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife Port Orchard is a black bear 'hot spot'. This has always been the case but reports are up, perhaps in part because so many people now have doorbell cameras and are capturing bears on camera that otherwise might not have been detected. Here are some helpful tips from Dept. of Fish & wildlife in preventing avoidable bear encounters and what to do if you see a bear. Black bears are generally not aggressive and only become dangerous to humans if they become accustomed to human provided food sources or feel cornered and 90% of black bear encounters and conflicts are based on human food attractants.
A few things to remember:
- bear sighting are not unusual or inherently dangerous.
- many bear encounters can be avoided by minimizing food attractants.
- being proactive results in less bears being lethally removed
- bear food attractants include: pet food, garbage, bird food
- call 911 if you feel threatened or if there is a bear on premises that isn't moving on
- Report sightings to neighbors and to the Dept. of Fish & Wildlife: 360 9022936 option 1 or WILDCOMM@dfw.wa.gov
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