Steve Searles stresses the "Dont' Feed the Bears" mantra.

Steve Searles stresses the “Dont’ Feed the Bears” mantra.

With bears awake and about in the Mammoth Lakes area, Wildlife Specialist Steve Searles gave a report to the Town Council last week. Searles explained a situation with a “special needs bear.”

Searles said there is a little cub wandering around the south Old Mammoth area. The bear, he said, is about 15 or 16 months old. Searles said he has received something like 50 calls about this cub. He said, “Some felt sorry for him. He has no mother. So, they gave him food.”

Searles said this is not the right thing to do and has led to problem behavior. He said the cub went into a house, jumped up on the table and ate half of an apple pie. He said the day after that, the little bear went into a house that was open, stole a loaf of bread, and ran.

Searles explained that there is plenty of natural food for the bear – grass and an abundance of dandelions. Said Searles, “Don’t feed him. If this continues, the bear will lose his life.”

That is the mantra during active bear season. Feeding bears habituates them to human food and leads them into conflicts with people. Don’t feed the bears.

Discover more from Sierra Wave: Eastern Sierra News

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading