Game, Fish, Parks Confirms Two Area Bear Sightings
Game, Fish, Parks Confirms Two Area Bear Sightings
South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) announced on Friday, June 20, that their offices have confirmed two bear sightings in northeastern South Dakota.
GFP officials advise individuals to keep their pets indoors or under supervision when outside, put away food items such as garbage and bird seed, remind children to be aware of their surroundings and to never approach a bear.
Bear sightings in early summer are not uncommon. Most bears that are spotted in unlikely or unusual places in early summer fall into three categories:
• Juvenile male bears that got booted out this spring after they denned up with their moms last winter
• Adult male bears are roaming far and wide in search of a mate. Both male and female bears may mate several times in early summer. But female bears rarely leave their home ranges, so adult male bears may travel long distances through various females’ home ranges
• New moms have lots of mouths to feed. Mother bears may have between one and six cubs depending on her for their survival. Natural spring and early summer food sources such as grasses and developing plants are just not as calorie-dense and nutritious as the nuts and fruits that ripen later in the year. So mother bears often need to travel further from their dens looking for food
Officials with GFP expect the bears to leave the area soon as the weather warms.
Residents are instructed to not approach or feed bears. If you spot a bear headed to a safe space for bears, just leave it alone. If you are worried it’s at risk because it’s wandering through a densely populated area, call your state wildlife agency.
Source: https://bearwise.org/ why-early-summer-brings-more-bear-sightings/
