Bear Dissuading Tips from Monrovia Police

It's springtime and the thoughts of Monrovia's black bears turn toward food as they emerge from their winter dens. The Monrovia Police have some bear-dissuading tips.

Bears have keen noses and can smell an easy meal from miles away. They can easily tear a front door off its hinges if they smell food left out on the kitchen counter. To protect your family and property from bear break-ins follow these simple tips:

• Purchase and properly use a bear-proof garbage container.
• Wait to put trash out until the morning of collection day.
• Don’t leave trash, groceries, or animal feed in your car.
• Keep garbage cans clean and deodorize them with bleach or ammonia.
• Keep barbecue grills clean and stored in a garage or shed when not in use.
• Only provide bird feeders during November through March and make them
inaccessible to bears.
• Don’t leave any scented products outside, even non-food items such as suntan
lotion, insect repellent, soap or candles.
• Keep doors and windows closed and locked.
• Consider installing motion-detector alarms, electric fencing or motion-activated
sprinklers.
• Harvest fruit off trees as soon as it is ripe, and promptly collect fruit that falls.
• Securely block access to potential hibernation sites such as crawl spaces under
decks and buildings.

- Brad Haugaard