When spring cleaning, keep bears in front of mind

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - As Southcentral emerges from a low-snow winter, Alaska wildlife officials say bears are waking up a bit early. And as with every hibernation ending — April and May in this part of the world — the bears will be hungry.

According to Fish and Game’s Nick Docken, it’s important to clean up the things that attract bears to neighborhoods before they form bad habits.

“There’s not a ton of green up yet and natural forage out there,” said Docken, a wildlife biologist. “So they are going to be looking for an easy, free meal.”

Clean-up means making sure pet food is kept indoors. Trash should stay inside until it’s pick-up day, and then there are there’s bringing in bird feeders.

“All winter long, those birds have been making a mess, so clean[ing] up that spilled birdseed on the ground below your birdfeeders is just as important,” Docken said.

With grilling season right around the corner, Docken reminds people to clean out the grease traps on grills, which can smell heavenly to bears.

“For those that are keeping livestock in town and chickens, it’s time to really check that electric fence and making sure any of those set-ups are really secure,” he said.

Docken says being diligent about keeping things clean can keep people and bears safe.

“Once a bear gets into trash, it learns that behavior,” Docken said. “That’s why it’s really important this time of year to be on top of things and make sure we have all our trash secured and cleaned up so we can go into this summer with as few incidents as possible.

Docken said for the most part, people should keep their distance from bears, but if they see a bear acting aggressively or getting into trash, they should definitely contact Fish and Game.

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