Hungry bears use pet door and display screen home windows to interrupt into properties in Montana

Bears went by means of a pet door, display screen home windows and doorways to rummage by means of individuals’s properties in quest of meals, Montana officers mentioned.

Montana Fish, WIldlife and Parks officers mentioned two bears have been actively breaking into properties in a Missoula neighborhood over the previous six weeks.

“This neighborhood sits on the northeast edge of town, adjacent to a lot of open lands and good wildlife habitat,” Vivaca Crowser, info and schooling program supervisor, informed McClatchy News in an e-mail. “The bears were entering homes at night, going in through screen windows or doors, and in one case a pet door.”

Once the bears have been inside the house, they began tearing by means of the properties in quest of meals.

Once a bear will get a meals reward from inside a house or storage, nevertheless, officers mentioned it’s possible they’ll proceed breaking in.

“It becomes a human safety concern and is a habit that is almost impossible to break,” Crowser mentioned. “So, we set traps and, unfortunately, have to euthanize bears in these situations.”

The first bear was caught someday round Aug. 16, Crowser mentioned. On Thursday, Aug. 25, the second bear was caught and euthanized.

Bears can’t get sufficient meals earlier than the winter, they usually’re looking in uncommon locations for it. They’re entering hyperphagia, a interval earlier than hibernation when they should eat 20,000 energy or extra every day.

Trying to devour that many energy in a day has them scouring barbecue grills, picnic tables and even individuals’s properties.

Officials mentioned you may assist reduce your chances of attracting a bear by following the following tips:

• Never feed wildlife: It brings animals in battle with individuals and attracts them into properties and neighborhoods.

• Store all rubbish in bear-resistant containers or bear containers.

• Never depart groceries, animal feed or rubbish in vehicles, campsites or tents.

• Lock your automotive and shut all of the home windows. Anything with an odor can entice a bear.

• Keep barbecues clear and saved away once they’re not in use.

• Keep door and home windows locked in your house when it’s empty.

• Use electrical fences on gardens, fruit bushes and compost piles.

• Store meals, drinks and toiletries in bear-resistance containers whereas tenting.

• Give wildlife house.