A Fed Bear…

I want to put my bird feeder out for the winter. My kitties love to watch through the window as birds feast on the treats. I cannot put the feeders out, however, until I am sure the bears have gone into hibernation. I do not want to tempt them to visit and get themselves in trouble.

I did not have much association with bears until I moved to Colorado. I had a respect for bears in camping activities, but I didn’t know much about bears until recently. I am learning through my work as a volunteer Bear Rover in Rocky Mountain National Park.

I have the pleasure of volunteering at Moraine Park Campground once a week in the summer to do bear education. Volunteers rove campsite to campsite and remind people why keeping their food away from the bears by putting it in bear boxes or appropriately concealing it in their locked cars is important.

The bears we have are Black Bears, regardless of whether they are black, brown, or tan. These bears look and act different than Grizzly Bears that are in the mountains further north of Colorado. Grizzlies were once common in the area before the park was established but were extirpated at the beginning of the 20^th century.

Black Bears are afraid of people—they just want a convenient meal from people if they can get it. These bears are omnivores with a diet that consists of insects and plants. Opportunistically they will eat meat, but they are not hunters. In the fall, they go into hyperphagia when they consume as much as they can—up to 20,000 calories a day.

A myth about bears is that they hibernate by going into a deep sleep for months. They do not hibernate like some other mammals. Their bodies slow down, and they take exceptionally long naps, but it is common for Black bears to wake up during the winter. They usually cannot find much to eat so go back to bed until spring offers them tasty cuisines.

A local card store has advice cards for sale about what we can learn from animals and flora. I liked the ideas about bears. “Live large” and “eat well” is good advice. I also like bear advice pertaining to “living with the seasons.” I am not a napper but the notion of taking a good long nap does have salience on chilly winter days.

I enjoy knowing about bears and seeing them infrequently in the park. They live the best lives they can. I am glad I can protect them and help others realize the effort needed to assure that they do not get into trouble. Unfortunately, a fed bear can end up a dead bear. I’ll wait just a little bit longer before I put up my winter bird feeder.