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Whatcom County is bear country.
We have one of the highest bear populations in Washington state. Most of the time, humans coexist well with bears. We hardly notice them as they move through forests and brush, foraging for berries with their cubs in tow.
However, we keep expanding development into their habitat and recreating in their foraging grounds. The recent black bear incidents in Whatcom County are the predictable outcome, especially when we unintentionally draw bears onto our properties with food.
Severe drought in Whatcom County is causing problems for bears. The berries are failing at higher elevations, and bears have moved lower in search of food. Before hibernation, from mid-August through October, bears become hyperphagic; hormonal changes triggered by shorter days and cooler weather leave them experiencing nonstop hunger. Bears spend 20 to 22 hours a day searching for food, consuming up to 20,000 calories a day to build life-sustaining fat reserves.
Human food and other attractants cause problems for bears. A black bear’s sense of smell is 2,100 times stronger than a human’s and seven times stronger than a bloodhound’s, and bears may follow a food...