How weather could spark a rise in bear encounters this summer

Drought can cause shortages in some of the natural foods that bears usually munch on.

Wildlife officials across the country are warning residents that a dry summer this year could draw bears to bird feeders, backyard grills and trash cans. And officials in at least four states with the highest bear populations -- Maine, California, Oregon and Washington -- are urging residents to take precautions to prevent encounters with bears.

Dry summers can cause shortages in some of the natural foods that bears usually munch on, like berries and beechnuts, The Associated Press reported. But without these resources at the ready, hungry bears are on the lookout for something else to fill up their bellies with.

Plants and other vegetation make up about 90% of black bears’ diets, but these resources are hard to come by in drought years, Darren DeBloois, the Game Mammals Coordinator for the Division of Wildlife and Resources told Utah local news outlet KSL.

In Utah, more than half of the state is considered an “exceptional” drought, and about 90% is under at least “severe” drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The entire state is considered to be experiencing at least “moderate” drought conditions. 

This June 2011 photo shows Grizzly bear No. 399 crossing a road in Grand Teton National Park, Wyo., with her three cubs. The bears are part of a family that's become a tourist attraction because of their frequent appearances near roads. (AP photo/Tom Mangelsen)

These conditions aren’t expected to ease, either, since June, July and August are typically the driest months of the year in Utah. Such conditions could make bears more aggressive in their search for food, DeBloois told KSL. 

“We really want people to be aware and do all they can to eliminate food sources and not draw a bear to their area," DeBloois told the news outlet.

Bears will do anything to stay back from humans, but if there’s food involved, that behavior can change. 

A biker watches a bear run into a field off Orchard Drive, Chambersburg, Pa., Friday, July 25, 2014. (AP Photo/Public Opinion, Markell DeLoatch)

Meanwhile, in California, wildlife biologist Rebecca Barboza of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said that it’s not dry conditions that could bring bears to backyards. The bear population is growing in neighborhoods, AccuWeather National Reporter Kim Loeffler reported.

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“The bears have been there for decades,” Barboza told AccuWeather. “There’s generations of bears that only know how to forage in the urban areas. And if they were to find themselves in the forest, they wouldn’t know how to forage on natural foods anymore.” 

Barboza advises folks to back away should they find themselves in a close encounter with a bear. The bear should back away in response, Barboza added.

To keep bears at bay, Utah’s Division of Wildlife Resources advises storing all food and scented items. They also caution against feeding bears and recommends that those that live in the mountains or foothills remove compost piles, beehives, unsupervised pets and their water bowls, among other items.

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