Bears are a wonder to see out in the wild. In the Lake Tahoe area, local residents and vacationers will be seeing them a lot sooner than usual. The bears at Lake Tahoe are emerging from a shorter than usual hibernation. This is causing concern for wildlife experts who say the hungry bears will have trouble finding food under a heavy snow pack.
“It’s too early. It definitely causes concern for us because there’s nothing to eat. We’re very busy already on activity with the big furry ones,” Ann Bryant with the BEAR League said.
The lack of food in the wild has Tahoe’s bears turning to garbage for food. Once again they’re coming into contact with Tahoe residents and visitors.
With poor conditions over the summer, wildlife officials reported a record number of bear problems.
Chris Healy of the Nevada Department of Wildlife said, “between the hot summer and wildfires, it really created a lot of problems for bears. And with nowhere to go, the bears started coming down the Truckee River and right into town.”
Healy says this year’s wet winter could prevent summer bear problems from reoccurring, but for now it’s important for residents to take precautions in order to keep the bears away.
Experts say a bear proof trash bin can be a resident’s best line of defense. They never recommend feeding the bears. Full article
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Robert Simmons 03.14.08 at 9:08 am
I was in Lake Tahoe last Spring for a ski vacation. My family was lucky enough to see a black bear on the west side of the lake. It was a wonderful sight.