Bear Naked Truth

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW) North Central Region this summer began offering residents and property owners a new tool to minimize human-bear conflicts: “unwelcome mats” that deliver a jolt of electricity when bears get too close, curious or comfortable around a residence and step on the electrified doormat.

These “eMats” have been used safely and effectively in front of doors and below windows for over a decade in the Lake Tahoe Basin and elsewhere around the country. When bears receive the temporary shock, this “tough love” can help train them to stay away from human dwellings and remain in the wild. Last month, the Human-Wildlife Conflicts team from CDFW’s North Central Region started issuing these devices to members of the public.

Jason Holley, a longtime CDFW wildlife biologist and black bear conflict specialist, says: “The plan is to temporarily loan these limited-supply eMats to our highest-need residents. These folks are already practicing sound bear-awareness techniques but are still having issues."

Since launching the eMat lending program in June, these non-lethal devices have been well-received by North Central Region residents and may be available to the public in other areas of the state soon. People wearing shoes and rubber-soled footwear are immune from the shock, and the devices can be shut off easily when people and pets are around.

CDFW has a very limited supply of 20 e-mats for use statewide, including the California side of the Lake Tahoe Basin where human-black bear interactions are very common. CDFW managers hope the public will see how effective these eMats can be in discouraging bear conflicts and then buy or build their own. CDFW will also be looking for options to acquire additional eMats if demand is high. The eMats retail for about $500 or can be made using common supplies found at local hardware stores.

Residents experiencing significant and active conflicts with black bears in the 17-county North Central Region interested in an eMat can call the North Central Region’s Human-Wildlife Conflict Hotline at (916) 358-2917. For more information on black bears, including living and recreating safely in bear country, please see CDFW’s black bear page.

CDFW’s existing black bear management plan was last updated in 1998 and there have been significant advancements in scientific methodologies and wildlife population modeling since then. The new conservation plan incorporates these advancements and includes contemporary scientific methods like using an integrated population model to determine population sizes and trends. Integrated population models use multiple sources of data, are robust enough to account for changes in hunting opportunity and produce accurate estimates of California’s black bear population size. This approach allows the Department a strong basis for effective and evidence-based conservation and adaptive management.

The draft plan also calls for the creation of nine different Bear Conservation Regions throughout the state where bear populations would be monitored and potentially managed based on specific needs.

Among the goals identified in the draft plan are conserving the state’s black bear population and their habitats, recognizing black bears as an important game species and offering more educational and safe viewing opportunities for the public while minimizing human-black bear conflict.

In the coming weeks, CDFW will host a virtual informational public meeting to provide an overview of the draft plan. The most up-to-date information regarding this meeting will be posted on CDFW’s Public Notices and Meetings web page when the information becomes available.

Please locate the draft plan and options on how to provide public comment on the CDFW Black Bear page. CDFW is asking for comments to be provided by June 14, 2024.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has been alerted to flyers posted recently in the Lake Tahoe Basin encouraging people to feed bears and allow them to access garbage in order “to survive.” This is false and extremely harmful misinformation that is detrimental for bears.

Bears are perfectly capable of surviving on their own and far better off without any human handouts. By intentionally feeding bears, people are quickly conditioning those bears to associate humans and homes as food sources. Bears baited by left-out food and garbage are conditioned to cross the boundary of safe behavior by approaching people, cars, houses, etc., to seek out that food reward. This changes a bear’s natural behaviors and greatly increases the potential for conflict.

It’s not possible for communities in bear country to coexist with bears unless people respect boundaries with bears and other wildlife. This includes not feeding wildlife, keeping garbage and other attractants away from bears and wildlife and educating oneself on all the best practices when living in or visiting bear country.

Living in bear country is a great privilege that comes with responsibilities. So please take the time to check out the online resources below to inform yourself and help others be part of the solution.

Thank you for your help in keeping Tahoe bears wild.

Online Black Bear Resources:

• CDFW: Human-Wildlife Conflicts: Black Bears
• CDFW: Bear Naked Truth Blog
• BearWise
• Keep Tahoe Bears Wild

Photo courtesy of the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

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Media Contact:
Peter Tira, CDFW Communications, (916) 215-3858

Three bear cubs that were captured with their mother in South Lake Tahoe this summer are progressing toward re-release into the wild.

The cubs’ mother, called 64F based on her DNA being the 64th unique female bear DNA entered into the CDFW wildlife forensic database, is known for breaking into at least 21 homes and causing property damage in the South Lake Tahoe area. The sow is also one of multiple bears identified by the public last year as “Hank the Tank.” She was safely immobilized in early August and taken to a wildlife facility near Springfield, Colorado, for permanent placement. The cubs, at least one of which accompanied her on break-ins, are being rehabilitated at Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue near Petaluma.

The three male cubs, who were separated from 64F because she is not a candidate for rehabilitation while they may still be released to the wild, are now about 8-months-old and were recently given a clean bill of health by veterinarians.

“All three bears looked good,” said Dr. Brandon Munk, California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) senior wildlife veterinarian. “We did a physical exam and baseline blood work for each. We gave them minor therapeutics to knock down internal and external parasite loads.”

One of the cubs has been recovering from injuries suffered while in the wild. The cub had a fractured hind foot and an associated wound from being struck by a vehicle. It also had an injury from an air rifle pellet.

“The fractures are healing, and the wound is almost healed. The cub is moving normally with no limp. All indications are that he’s doing fine,” said Munk.

The cubs’ rehabilitation protocol at Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue includes reinforcement of foraging skills which they’ll need in the wild. For example, staff at the facility have placed logs, rocks, branches and other structures in the enclosure to provide the bears with climbing and balancing practice. Staff have also been burying and hiding food to allow the cubs to practice foraging.

“We all want to give these cubs the best chance at living a life in the wild,” said Munk.

If the cubs’ rehabilitation progresses as planned, they will be re-released into the wild in spring 2024.

Hank the Tank’s cubs raised in captivity at Sonoma County facility

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Video credit:
KRON-TV

Media contact:
Peter Tira, CDFW Communications: Peter.Tira@Wildlife.ca.gov

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has increased its use of GPS technology to better understand the outcomes of black bears released from wildlife rehabilitation facilities.

This year marks the first time that CDFW is tracking with GPS collars all bears released back into the wild after care from the four wildlife rehabilitation centers permitted to care for black bears in California.

It’s a way to track the bears’ behavior and movements and see how they are faring in the wild. CDFW human-wildlife conflict specialists might also use the GPS information to intercept a bear approaching a neighborhood or community and redirect it back to wild habitat.

Among the GPS-tracked, rehabbed bears released in 2023 were two orphaned cubs from Tulare County. CDFW cameras were on scene to capture the final moments of their care at the San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Campus and the return of one of the bears to its home in the woods of Tulare County. Learn more at the video featured below.