June 11, 1999 Missoulian article: Officials predict bad year for bears by Nick Gevock
The problem has become so bad that it threatens the grizzly bear population in Northwest Montana.
"We are losing a lot of wildlife," Robinson said. "If we have a couple more years like last year, we may lose the grizzly bear population in the northern Continental Divide ecosystem."
The loss of a couple of breeding females in a population the size of the Northern Rockies, estimated at between 500 and 850 grizzlies, can be very damaging, he said.
A failed natural berry crop caused most of the problems last year, said Jay Gore, national grizzly bear habitat coordinator for the U S Forest Service. In normal year bears feed heavily on berries and build up large fat reserves that sustains them through winter hibernation.
Last year the berries weren't there and many bears probably starved to death in their dens or shortly after coming out of hibernation, Gore said. In addition, this year's heavy snowpack have pushed bears down into valley bottoms where people live in search of food.
That's why this year could be another bad one for human-bear conflicts. The problem can be avoided if people take some simple steps to eliminate bear attractants from their homes, Gore said
"If people keep their house closed up and the garbage in, a bear will pass by," Gore said. "But if the garbage is out, a bear will get into it and get a food reward, and it will come back again and again."
There are two types of behavior in problem bears. A "habituated" bear has lost its natural fear of humans, while a food-conditioned bear has learned that human homes and camps are easy meals. A problem bear can be one or the other, but a bear that is both is the most dangerous.
Once a bear has received a food reward, Robinson said, it is tough to break it of the habit and keep it out of people's property.
"It's easy food for them," he said. "We have situations where a food-conditioned bear is relocated 30 miles into the Bob Marshall Wilderness and is back in people's yards in a day and a half looking for watermelon."
The next few weeks are especially difficult for bears because they are recently out of hibernation and are hungry, Robinson said. 'As they wander valley bottoms looking for food', inevitably they run into houses. And they will eat whatever is available.
"Grizzlies have a tremendous sense of smell and are always looking for something to eat," Gore said. 'They don't care if it's garbage, dog food, bird seed or horse pellets."
People like to live in Montana because of wildlife, Gore said, and should remember to keep a sanitary house to protect one of Montana's best-known animals.
"If we're supposed to be stewards of the earth," he said, "humans need to do what we can to help these animals out."