Black Bear Safety Tips for Those Cabin Vacations in Wooded Areas
More and more people are doing vacations in cabins in the woods like Gatlinburg. I haven’t done that yet, but I’d like to soon. One thing I bet many people don’t think about is that with these types of vacations, you must be educated on bear safety.
A Facebook post by High Haven Cabin got a lot of attention when they posted a photo of bears trying to break into a cabin and said that the mama bear had to be euthanized and they are trying to catch the others. In the post, they state they are not 100 % sure this is the bear that was euthanized, but they are pretty confident it is. They wrote in the post that this is why they tell their guests to never feed the bears and why their staff insists that you keep food out of your car and always lock your doors. They relay the message, “Do not be a part of the problem. Please be a part of the solution.”
Here is the video:
The website bearwise.org is a very educational site on black bears and how to deal with them responsibly. Their website is very informative and is something you should take a look at if you are planning on taking a vacation where black bears may be. According to their website, BearWise.org was launched in 2018 by the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Their mission is to help people live more responsibly with black bears by providing science-based information and proven, practical ways to prevent conflicts and resolve problems. The BearWise program was pioneered by bear biologists from 15 SEAFWA’s 15 member states, where about 70,000 black bears and humans are leading to a rising number of human-bear encounters and conflicts. Founding member states include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Some helpful tips that BearWise.org lists on their website are:
- Enjoy bears from a distance and never approach them.
- Feeding bears (intentionally or unintentionally) trains them to approach homes and people for more food, and you may be ticketed and fined.
- Bears may be defensive when people get too close.
- Secure your food and garbage.
- Clean and store your BBQ grill.
- Keep doors and windows closed.