Tag: bear cub

Bear calls rise around Lake Tahoe as California, Nevada take different approaches

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Black bear walking through a pine forest near cabins and a mountain lake

Bear-related calls are on the rise around the Lake Tahoe region, with South Lake Tahoe police reporting 174 calls so far this year, compared with 97 during the same period last year. But because Lake Tahoe spans California and Nevada, how officials respond to bears can look very different depending on which side of the lake you’re on. In Nevada, wildlife officials have a unique tool at their disposal: a four-legged bear chaser named Badger. Badger is a Karelian Bear Dog trained to work alongside Nevada Department of Wildlife biologists. His job is to haze bears that have become too comfortable around people.

The goal isn’t to hurt the bear. Instead, the dogs create a negative association with people and encourage the bear to retreat back into the wild. “Using the dogs versus other tools makes a difference in the amount of time that they stay away from people, how quick they are to retreat from people when they’re encountered again,” said Becca Carniello, a Nevada Department of Wildlife game biologist. Nevada has used Karelian Bear Dogs since 2001, and officials say the dogs can help change how a bear responds the next time it encounters people. California uses a different toolbox. California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesperson Cort Klopping says officers can use a range of hazing techniques, including yelling, making themselves appear larger, using air horns and other loud noisemakers.

In some cases, wildlife officials also use bean-bag guns or paintball guns. With bear activity increasing around Tahoe, that raises the question: Why not add a dog like Badger to California’s toolbox? Klopping says California has considered the approach but doesn’t see enough added benefit to justify it. “It’s something that has been successful for a lot of different departments in the past. It doesn’t seem like it’s really worth it necessarily for us. It doesn’t give us any more effectiveness than the other hazing techniques that we use to move the bears along,” Klopping said. The states may use different tools, but wildlife officials on both sides agree that hazing is only a temporary solution. “Anything we do with the bear, hazing the bear, it’s only a temporary behavior change.

The permanent solution has to come from people securing their trash,” Carniello said. That puts human behavior at the center of the issue. Unsecured garbage cans, pet food left outside and even a dirty barbecue grill can attract bears — and once a bear learns that people mean an easy meal, it can become increasingly comfortable coming back. “The attractants, you know, that goes for unsecured garbage cans, pet food left outside, even something as simple as not cleaning your grill after you use it,” Klopping said.

So while Nevada’s Badger can chase a bear away and people can haze one when it gets too close, wildlife officials say the best defense is preventing bears from finding a reason to stick around in the first place. For now, the message from wildlife officials remains the same: Different states may have different tools, but keeping bears wild starts with keeping human food and trash out of reach.

Source: Bear calls rise around Lake Tahoe as California, Nevada take different approaches – CBS Sacramento

Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.
Luke 6:30

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3 bear cubs break into man’s San Bernardino County mountain cabin

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Three black bear cubs standing at an open rustic cabin door

A man had a close encounter with a trio of bears that broke into his cabin in the San Bernardino County mountains. After hearing his little, old hard-of-hearing dogs barking, Thomas Vander Wende woke up and went outside his cabin at Green Valley Lake. That’s when he came face-to-face with a bear cub crawling down a tree in front of his cabin at Green Valley Lake and making wild, throaty moans.   “I saw a silhouette of a bear just above my head,” he said.

“I was bare butt too. So, I didn’t want to hang around and talk to this bear.” Wende ran back inside his home, only to realize that at least two bears had already broken into his home. “We catch the little culprits, the bandits, trying to shimmy down the tree, trying to get away from their crime,” Wende said.  He said his teenage son started screaming that a bear had crawled through his second-floor window. They raided Wende’s loft and were sniffing around their guinea pig enclosure.  Luckily, the cubs were only after the dry food and did not hurt the guinea pigs.  “They did a bear home invasion,” Wende said. “In our home, where we sleep.”

The encounter got Wende’s adrenaline going, but once he lit the bear burglars up with a flashlight, they slowly ambled out of the home while he heard a strange sound in the distance.  Wende believes it was the bear’s mother making some distress calls or scolding them for their mischievous behavior.  “They’re teens. She’s probably having a hard time with them,” he said.  Wende said he’s glad the unusual encounter ended in the best possible way, knowing the potential dangers if the cubs became trapped inside and their mother bear came looking for them.  “They look like they’re in the ‘I’m getting in trouble stage,” Wende said. “Mom’s probably having a hard time keeping track of them.”

Source: 3 bear cubs break into man’s San Bernardino County mountain cabin – CBS Los Angeles

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:23-24

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Mother bear, 3 cubs freed after getting trapped in La Verne water tank

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A mother bear and her three cubs were rescued after becoming trapped inside a large water storage tank in La Verne Saturday, prompting a large response from firefighters and wildlife officials. Officials said the bears were in distress for hours before one of the cubs managed to escape on its own. First responders dubbed the effort “Operation Care Bear” after the bears spent more than 12 hours inside the tank. The rescue happened near Claremont Wilderness Park’s 5-Mile Loop Trail. Firefighters shared video of the rescue, which ended with three bears emerging from the tank. The bears had apparently squeezed through a 1-foot-wide opening in the concrete structure and became trapped inside.

Crews used a saw to cut a larger hole in the tank and lowered a ladder to help the animals escape. “They were exhausted, so it took a few minutes for the first cub to come out, then the second cub got out, and then finally the mother,” said Keith Navarre with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The bears were spotted around 8 a.m. Saturday by Glendora residents Eric McDonald and Jamie Kirk. “We climbed up top, and there’s a small hole and right away we see a bear staring at us, kind of holding on to the walls because it was full of water,” Kirk said. McDonald said he and Kirk were concerned about the animals’ condition. “We were just concerned that, certainly they had water, but they would get hungry and there’s no telling how long they’d been in there,” he said. Tyler Christensen and Bradney Boli also encountered the bears and recorded video of the bears inside the tank. “I just stuck my head in the hole. One was all tucked up on the top.

There’s like a little pole. They were just scared to death,” Christensen said. “I think the bears got very lucky because it would not be easy to hear that,” Boli said. California Department of Fish and Wildlife drained water from the tank before firefighters from La Verne and Los Angeles County assisted in the rescue. The bears may have been seeking water during the hot and humid weather. One of the three cubs escaped the tank before rescuers arrived. That cub has since been reunited with its family.

Source: Mother bear, 3 cubs freed after getting trapped in La Verne water tank – ABC7 Los Angeles

With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love.
Ephesians 4:2

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Baby Bear Nibbles on Photographer’s Boot

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Bear cub sniffing a hiker’s boot on a forest trail

A baby bear took a nibble at a photographer after becoming curious about his boot. Wildlife photographer Bruce Robert Danz was in the Katmai Preserve in Alaska on August 2 with another shooter while capturing images of three cubs and a mama bear fishing. But as is sometimes the case with wildlife photography, the bears wandered close to the humans; a little too close. As the cubs emerged from the muddy river, the trio of inquisitive cubs walked past the two photographers. Danz’s companion can be heard saying, “No bear, no bear” as the bears get too close for comfort.

Then one of the cubs couldn’t resist the urge to investigate and started sniffing at Danz’s shoe. The sniff turns into a nibble and Danz quickly pulled his foot away ever so slightly. “No bear, that’s my foot,” Danz says. “Just moving my boot a little was enough to end the interaction and the cub fell back in line,” Danz tells Storyful. Danz was on a photographic tour with Jerry Jacques, who has been leading grizzly bear photo safaris since 1977. “We kept our distance, kept quiet and did not disturb the bears from fishing,” Danz says. “The bears were aware of our presence and occasionally would walk very close to us.” “Jerry said we handled the situation perfectly by not causing alarm,” Danz adds. “Jerry suggested perhaps the cub was tired of salmon and wanted to try some filet of sole. I was not afraid, just intent on keeping quiet and not causing alarm.”

It’s the second time this summer that a photographer has had a close encounter with a grizzly bear in Katmai: photographer Matt Addington got within inches of a grazing grizzly bear, capturing some incredible close-up images. Despite people joking that the bear was eating a salad while preparing for steak, Addington described it as “one of the more peaceful, serene, surreal moments that I’ve ever had.” Similar to what happened to Danz, the bears were initially hundreds of yards away but naturally drifted over to where they were sitting, untroubled by human presence. Katmai is home to 2,000 brown bears and at this time of year, they eat up to 120 lbs of grass a day to prepare for winter hibernation.

Source: Baby Bear Nibbles on Photographer’s Boot | PetaPixel

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:11

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Bear, 2 cubs spotted in Auburn as Placer County bear sightings continue

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Mother bear walking with two cubs along a forest trail

A mother bear and her two cubs were spotted Tuesday in Auburn, marking the latest after a string of recent bear sightings across western Placer County. The Auburn Police Department said the bears were seen near Lincoln Way and Russell Road. “A friendly reminder to our neighbors: We live in bear country! Please keep an eye on your surroundings, secure garbage and food sources, and bring pets and other animals inside if a bear is in the area,” Auburn police wrote on social media, noting that bear sightings are not uncommon for the area. The sighting follows recent bear reports in nearby cities in western Placer County including Lincoln, Rocklin and Roseville. In Lincoln, police said a bear was reported several times Friday in the Sun City Lincoln Hills community, with sightings reported between Wagon Wheel Lane and Overland Lane.

Its last reported location was near Oak Tree Lane and Highway 193. Rocklin police also issued an alert last week after a bear was reported near Argonaut Avenue, Sweetwater Drive and Aiken Dairy Road. The following day, several reports came in from Roseville residents who spotted a bear near Foothills Boulevard between Blue Oaks and Pleasant Grove boulevards. It remains unclear whether the reports in Auburn, Lincoln, Rocklin and Roseville involve any of the same animals. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has been notified of the recent sightings and has been monitoring bear activity in the region. Wildlife officials have noted that this time of year can bring increased bear activity as mother bears push their cubs out on their own, sometimes sending younger bears into areas they would not normally go. Bears that wander into residential areas will often eventually leave on their own, officials said.

Source: Bear, 2 cubs spotted in Auburn as Placer County bear sightings continue – CBS Sacramento

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling.
Ephesians 4:4

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Video shows bear cub trapped inside a Southern California storm drain, another stuck in tree

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mother black bear and cub in alaska forest

Video shows a mother bear looking up at a tree in Monrovia, where her two cubs are playing around in the branches. Before they made it up the tree, one of them had been stuck up in front of someone’s house for three days and the other little one fell into a storm drain earlier and needed help crawling back out.  Anna Howie and her dog Loki have been checking in on the bear family for days.

She says the mother bear has been going up in the tree to nurse the cub that won’t come down.  “This is the way we like to see it done where they just monitor the situation because eventually that baby will come down,” Howie said.  Howie says the cub stuck in the tree has been crying and making “horrible noises.” “She just scaled that tree, sat up there and nursed her baby and then the other one saw what was going on and went up and started nursing as well,” Howie said. Cort Klopping, a spokesperson for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, says the mother bear is working to get her cubs together.

The CDFW says their biologists are in the neighborhood monitoring the situation and they’re hoping the cub will eventually learn their mother’s lesson and climb down with her. “Our biologists might need to capture and relocate the bears together to a nearby suitable habitat within their home range so they’re familiar with the habitat and know where to forage,” Klopping said. That’s comforting news to neighbors. Many are still upset about a different Monrovia mother bear named Blondie, who was recently euthanized after the CDFW linked her to two human encounters where she reportedly swatted at people. Her cubs were relocated to the San Diego Humane Society. 

Source: Video shows bear cub trapped inside a Southern California storm drain, another stuck in tree – CBS Los Angeles

Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.
Isaiah 53:4

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