Beware of Bears!
The official start of spring is about three weeks away as I write this. And though I know that we really don’t warm up around here until about May, the promise of more temperate days still makes me happy.
We’re also about two-to-three weeks away from when black bear—which are prevalent around here—begin waking up from their long winter’s nap. The first ones to rouse themselves will be the males. The females, who have given birth over the winter, will start stirring in April.
(Of course, all of this is subject to the weather. If we warm up more quickly, the bear will be active that much earlier.)
What does this mean for you and your pet? Well, bad things can obviously happen if Drumstick mixes it up with a bear! Black bears happen to be the largest mammals in our area—they range from five-to-seven feet in height (when standing on their hind legs), and some of them top out at more than six-hundred pounds.
They are also incredibly powerful. The average black bear is five times stronger than a human being (and that includes Arnold Schwarzenegger). They have a bite force of eight-hundred pounds per square inch, and can lift three-hundred pounds with one paw. When searching for food, they easily roll logs and three-hundred-plus pound boulders out of their way. They can also rip the doors off of a car without breaking a sweat.
In short, these are creatures you do NOT want to mess with. So, how do we keep black bears away from our furry friends?
The first step is prevention. Drumstick can’t be hurt by a bear if the bear never comes around. First, lock the doors and windows when you leave your house. Yes, a determined bear will smash his way in if he really wants to, but—lucky for us—bears are lazy. If it’s easy to enter a home, they’ll do it. But if it takes a little work, they generally move on.
With that in mind, you might want to replace any exterior lever-like door handles with round knobs. Bears don’t really know how to manipulate them.
Keep in mind, though, that bears can easily climb trees. Get rid of any tree limbs they might use to access upper windows, decks, and fire escape stairs.
And, of course, don’t leave any food or trash around that they might want to access. Bears can smell such things up to five miles away. It’s best to throw your garbage out in a bear-proof container.
One thing in our favor is that bears in general don’t like humans. If one shows up on your property, you can holler at him—from a safe distance, of course—or scare her away with other loud noises. And if you’re not home, leave a radio on tuned to a talk station. The sound of human voices alone will probably be enough to send Smokey down the road.
And remember, never—never EVER—approach a mama bear with her cubs.
Now, let’s say that you and Drumstick are doing the Catskills Tails on Trails thing, hiking on one of our glorious Sullivan County pathways…and you come across a wandering bear. What then?
First off, I know you have Drumstick on a leash. In that case, the last you’ll see of the bear is her backside when she escapes from you. Bears can run short distances at more than 25 miles per hour, so you won’t be seeing her for long.
But…if Drumstick isn’t on a leash, there’s a fifty-fifty chance that he’s getting killed. A bear looks at a barking, aggressive dog as a threat, and no dog in the world is an equal match. If Drumstick figures that out, turns tail, and runs back toward you, he’s likely to have unwelcome company coming with him. And that’s when you might be severely hurt or killed.
Again, our only advantage in such a situation is that bears are lazy. And for all of their power, they’re not generally aggressive. If they have a tree to climb or a forest to disappear into, they’ll usually do that to avoid confrontation. But if they feel cornered, they play an entirely different game. She’ll rise up on her hind legs and get ready to swat any threat away with her lethal claws.
So, what if a bear has you and Drumstick in her sights? Do NOT get between the bear and your furry friend. The reality is that Drumstick will have to deal with this himself for the time being. If you were prescient enough to think of packing some, now would be a good time to spray your potential attacker with bear repellent. The active ingredient here is generally capsaicin, the stuff that makes peppers hot. A good shot in the face will generally get the bear to change her mind.
No bear repellent? Do NOT run. Remember, a bear is faster than we are, so running won’t do you any good. Also, do NOT make any sudden moves. Instead, try to appear, well, LARGER. Lift your arms over your head. Slowly wave your hands around. Speak in a calm but firm voice. (Some folks recommend yelling, which is fine when the bear is far away…but a bear in close contact will perceive the yelling as signaling a threat.) Then try to back away, but slowly.
If Drumstick tangles with the bear and lives, you’re probably going to need to bring him to us. He may have some broken bones to splint and/or some wounds to stitch up. More than likely, he’ll also need antibiotics and pain medication.
Plus—as you might imagine—Drumstick will be traumatized. We can discuss methods, such as behavior modification, to ease him out of that and restore trust. Keep him occupied and on a familiar schedule…but build in some “alone time” for him as well. If he’s really in a bad way, we can also try anti-anxiety meds for him. We’re happy to walk with you and your animal companion on the path to recovery.
And we’ll bring the bear spray!