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New Irrigation Concern: Thirsty Bears05-22-07 | News

New Irrigation Concern: Thirsty Bears






A mother bear and cub strolled from the local foothills into the Southern California town of Bradbury in May in search of food and water. No bears or humans were harmed in the incident, but drought is making confrontations more likely.
Photo: Los Angeles Times
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The driest season in Southern California?EUR??,,????'???s recorded history is drawing out-of-towners ?EUR??,,????'??? fur-bearing members of the genus Ursus. As in other parts of the country, black bears are known to invade human space in search of food, but now they?EUR??,,????'???re gnawing sprinkler nozzles too.

“The bears aren’t bothering anything or anybody,?EUR??,,????'?? resident Kathleen Meade said on May 16. ?EUR??,,????'??They get a little fruit off the trees.?EUR??,,????'??

Next-door neighbor Robert Penney said a different bear entered his San Gabriel Valley home a few days earlier, strolling through an open garage door and into a nearby bathroom.






A bear snuffles through a Hefty bag in California?EUR??,,????'???s San Gabriel Valley. As bears venture farther into residential areas, more communities will need to consider the use of bear-resistant trash receptacles.
Photo: Los Angeles Times


?EUR??,,????'??Sampling?EUR??,,????'??? Sprinklers

“He was drinking out of the toilet. I told him to get the hell out of there and he took off. He ran right by me. I could have petted him he was so close. He was a tagged bear, not as big as the one today. But he definitely wasn’t a cub,” said Penney, a retired manufacturer.

Black bear sightings are common in Bradbury, a 2-square-mile community of 325 homes that abuts the bear-rich Angeles National Forest.

Three years ago, Penney encountered a bear in his driveway. On Sunday, he caught a bear sucking water out of an outdoor water faucet. Another time he watched a bear “sample each sprinkler like it was a different flavor.”

A friend down the street caught a bear in his kitchen, Penney said. “It came through a Dutch door, opened the refrigerator and was standing there having a gourmet meal,” he said.

“With only 3 inches of rain this year,” Penney added, “the streams are dry. There are no berries, no nothing.”

It was probably no coincidence that May 15 was the day Bradbury residents put out their trash for pickup.






Black bears are attracted by pet food?EUR??,,????'??+and pet water, it turns out. This photo was taken near Asheville, N.C., where year-round stream flow usually suffices.
Photo: www.naturehaven.com


Avoiding Damage and Danger

Authorities said there are no plans to destroy the bears.

Experts say that human injuries involving black bears are very rare. Unlike their bigger grizzly cousins, black bears will usually back down when confronted with shouts, sticks or clanging pots and pans.

Black bears (Ursus americanus) are found in every state but Hawaii. In rural areas they can become a nuisance if garbage is unsecured. Manufacturers like Ontario, Calif.-based BearSaver offer bear-resistant trash receptacles that keep humans (and bears) safe.

Source: Los Angeles Times

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