Photo of a black bear for illustrative purposes by C MacDonald/iStock.com
By Jon Johnson
GRAHAM COUNTY – The Arizona Game & Fish Department was busy last Tuesday with two separate black bear calls east and south of Safford.
Authorities were first dispatched to East Sanchez Road at about 6:24 p.m. regarding a black bear being a nuisance in the area.
A Graham County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded with Game & Fish and was shown a black bear in a tree off the south side of Sanchez Road. The deputy closed the road while the Game & Fish officer attempted to tranquilize the bear. However, the first shot missed, and the bear ran eastbound into a field.
The authorities pursued the juvenile bear and the Game & Fish officer tranquilized it with a dart. The Game & Fish officer advised the bear would be tagged and relocated for release back into the wild.
While Game & Fish were on the first bear call, a second black bear sighting – this one in the Quatro Cerros Road in the Artesia area south of Safford. The Sheriff’s Office advised it did not locate the bear to the south and the case was handed over to Game & Fish.
The bear found off Sanchez Road was likely looking for water in the area or had been displaced by an older bear protecting his territory.
While the Arizona Game & Fish Department has a zero-tolerance policy for nuisance males, females, and young bears will get one or two chances for relocation.
In May, a black bear swiped at a 15-year-old Pima youth who was visiting his grandparents’ cabin in Alpine. That bear was later put down.
How can people prevent conflicts with bears?
To avoid habituating the bears in your area, follow these steps.
Make trash cans inaccessible. Bring them inside at night or buy a bear-resistant trash can or an enclosure for the container.
Enclose your compost pile. Open compost piles, especially those that include kitchen scraps, are an irresistible treat in bear country. Burying compost won’t work because bears will easily find and dig it up.
Recycle wisely. If you store recyclables outside, use enclosed bins. (Persistent bears will break into even ruggedly built bins.)
Keep your barbecue grill clean and as free of drippings as possible. Move the grill away from your house when you aren’t using it, and clean it regularly with ammonia or bleach.
Rethink your bird feeders. In the summer, birds can make do with naturally available foods. If you do set up feeders, install them away from your house.
What should I do if I encounter a black bear?
If you see a black bear in your yard, don’t fear the worst. A youngster may simply be passing through in search of a home of their own. Or an adult may be checking out an enticing smell or interesting sound. Usually, when they find out there are people around, they’ll head for the hills, never to be seen again.
If you do encounter a bear, remain calm and remember that the bear is likely more scared of you than you are of them. Attacks by black bears on people are very rare and most black bears can be easily scared away with the following approach:
- Stand and face the bear directly. Never run away from or approach them.
- Make yourself look as big as possible by spreading your arms or, better yet, a coat.
- Make as much noise as possible by yelling, banging pots and pans or using other noisemaking devices.
- If the bear approaches and you have bear spray, spray the bear as they approach.
- In the very rare case that a black bear does attack you, fight back (don’t play dead).
- After the bear leaves, remove whatever attracted them to the location (barbecue grill, bird feeder, pet food, or garbage).
*Source: The Humane Society of the United States
