Right here’s a pleasant PSA from the Missouri Division of Conservation (MDC): Bears are waking up from hibernation, and so they’re hungry.
Black bears reside in Missouri, largely south of Interstate 44. Nonetheless, MDC says because the animals’ inhabitants has grown, individuals have noticed bears outdoors of their core vary within the state.
Now that spring has sprung, Missouri’s black bears are leaving their dens after waking up from hibernation—or, extra precisely, after exiting “winter sleep” or dormancy. Throughout dormancy, bears’ our bodies use little or no power, however they’re able to rousing. They’re not true hibernators as a result of their physique temperature doesn’t drop to the extremes that true hibernators’ our bodies do.
Because the bears snap out of their seasonal slumber, they’re hungry—beary hungry.
MDC posted a PSA and inspired locals to be bear secure by locking up trash and conserving pet meals inside to maintain from attracting hungry black bears.
The identical goes for these outdoors of Missouri. For anybody in bear nation, MDC’s put up is an effective reminder to concentrate on the modifications in animal habits that spring brings and to regulate accordingly.
In case you reside, camp, or hike in areas of the U.S. the place black or brown bears reside, all the time retailer your meals (and trash) in bear-safe containers. Carry bear spray and a bear horn, and by no means underestimate the ability of a hungry bear.
