Santa Rosa County residents are encouraged to take steps to be bear aware and keep wildlife – especially bears – away from their homes. Even though black bears are normally too shy to risk contact with humans, their powerful need to find food – many times from garbage cans – can overwhelm this fear and they can smell food from over a mile away.
A fed bear is a dead bear. Once bears become habituated to gaining food access in a neighborhood, they gradually lose their fear of people and there is little hope of making the bear wild again. These food-conditioned bears can become a public safety risk and in turn must be destroyed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission(FWC) for learned behaviors such as accessing unsecure trash.
What can you do? Conduct an evaluation of your home – and encourage your neighbors to do the same. Focus on the following tips:
Trash Cans
- Use commercially manufactured bear-resistant trash cans by contacting your local waste service provider to request one. If they will not supply them, verify they will service one and then contact your local home improvement store to purchase a can.
- Consider bear-resistant dumpsters rather than multiple individual cans in communities whenever possible. Dumpsters are easier to secure than individual containers and may represent a cost-savings to residents.
- Modify your standard trash can to make it more difficult for bears to access. The modified can must be sturdy enough that it will not collapse when an adult black bear stands on it, and the lid must be rigid and unbending. If you have contracted waste service, verify that your provider is willing to service a modified can. You must ask permission to modify a can provided by a waste provider.
- Store standard trash cans in a location inaccessible by bear, like a garage or sturdy shed, until the morning of trash pick-up .
- NOTE: Keeping garbage secure is the best way to reduce bear activity in your community.
- Home and Garage
- Keep outside doors closed and locked when not in use. Round door knobs are harder for bears to manipulate than flat or lever-style door handles.
- Do not store food in screened enclosures (patios/porches).
- Do NOT leave outdoor grills unattended when in use and clean them thoroughly afterwards or store in sturdy shed or garage.
- Never leave any food unattended outside on a porch or patio.
- Never leave food or anything scented inside of your vehicle
Trees, Bushes, Gardens and Compost
- Harvest ripened and remove fallen nuts, seeds, or berries.
- Pick any vegetables and edible roots as soon as they ripen.
- Construct an electric fence around your garden if bears persist.
- Monitor the ratio of green and brown materials in compost to prevent odors.
- Install motion-activated floodlights or motion-activated water sprinkers.
Pets, Livestock and Birds
- Securely store excess pet/livestock food and empty bowls in a sturdy shed, garage, or bear-resistant container.
- Do not chain or otherwise restrict a dog’s movements so that it cannot get away from its food bowl, as this is more likely to cause an aggressive encounter if a bear approaches the dog’s food.
- Do not leave cat food outside unattended for free-ranging cats. Feed your free-ranging cat in your presence and remove any excess food it does not eat.
- Walk dogs on a short, non-retractable leash when outside of a fenced area.
- Beekeepers, the most effective way to secure apiaries is to install an electric fence. A properly maintained electric fence is over 90% effective at keeping bears out of bee hives.
- Protect small livestock such as chickens and rabbits with electric fencing around coops and hutches.
- Bird feeders are bear feeders.Hang bird feeders appropriately by suspending 10 feet from the ground and four feet from any attachment points.
- Take bird feeders in between dusk and dawn when bears are most active (except in fall when they are active during the day – do not leave feeders unattended during the fall).
- Place trays under bird feeders to be picked up daily and cleaned.
- Use a commercially manufactured bear-resistant bird feeding station.
To report an emergency situation or illegal activity, including the feeding or harming of bears, contact the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline, 888-404-3922, to speak with FWC law enforcement. Report non-emergency bear sightings or human-bear conflicts to the FWC Northwest Regional Office, 850-265-3676.
