Bears are already known to be in area of Big Canoe, but it’s a mama bear that’s hunting for food in all the wrong places that’s cause for concern.
Adam Hammonds with the Department of Natural Resources said he’s received at least five complaints about the nuisance bears.
Last week DNR received a complaint that a bear broke into garages and ate food out of garbage cans. Another time, a bear was caught on surveillance video entering the window of a home for food.
In the video clip above, you can see four bears crossing the road. Art MIles shared the video with 11Alive.It was taken on July 14 near the entrance of Audubon Ridge at Big Canoe.
On Sunday, the mama bear and her cubs showed up at the Big Canoe Swim Club just in time for lunch.
The 3300-pound mama bear grabbed food left out in the social area while people swam. “It is obvious they are out of control. There were at least 60 people still at the swim club. The bear charged at security. It’s an uneasy and not a normal situation,” Hammond said.
On Monday, the swim club closed for the day so DNR could set traps to catch the bears but were unsuccessful. The swim club reopened Tuesday.
Hammond said he doesn’t know what the fate will be for the bears once caught, but previous instances when this has happened the bear was eventually put down.
“Over time this bear has been well trained by people whether intentionally or unintentionally.”
Hammond said there is a way to prevent this from happening and it starts with six basic tips from bearwise.org.
- Never feed or approach bears.
- Secure food, garbage and recycling.
- Remove bird feeders when bears are active.
- Never leave pet food out.
- Clean and store grills
- Let neighbors know.
“Our ultimate goal is to protect public safety.” Hammond said.
