Asheville Answer Woman: When do black bears start hibernating? Why are bears euthanized?

ASHEVILLE - Today's burning question addresses the effects of human behavior on the timing of bear hibernation — with an explanation of other, deadlier situations the same behavior can cause.

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Question : I seem to be hearing about more bears getting into garbage and around houses now. When do bears start hibernating? Will it be later this year, or happen at all, since it’s been so hot?

Answer : As is the case with many black bear behaviors, the timing of their torpors actually may be more likely affected by humans than by the weather. Bears who find food sources in garbage, bird feeders, etc., may not bed down for the season in a timely fashion. Additionally, feeding bears, whether accidental or deliberate, can be deadly to the animals.

Will bears go into hibernation later this year? Will it happen at all?

Technically, black bears go through torpor rather than true hibernation. This means that bears become much less active during colder months when food is scarce, but don't sleep through the winter in caves as many might imagine.

Ashley Hobbs, a special projects biologist for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, told the Citizen Times that when it comes to torpor timing, human impact can cause significant shifts.

"Depending on the abundance of food available in the area that the bear is in, human-provided or natural, they could wait to go through that period of inactivity until later in the year," Hobbs said. "Like January, for example, they might start seeking out a den whereas traditionally bears, we expect them to start seeking out a den site more in the October, November range."

Why are bears euthanized?

Hobbs described recent events in Swannanoa that led to the euthanasia of four black bears. The residents of a household returned from vacation to find a window pushed out of its frame, with the yard and interior of the house in disarray. Security footage showed a mother bear and two cubs in the area.

Homeowners boarded up the window on Monday, Aug. 19 after discovering the mess, but returned later the same evening to find the boards pulled off of the frame, and a bear with cubs outside of the window. On Tuesday, the NCWRC stepped in, setting out traps to capture the bears and euthanizing them offsite.

"In terms of North Carolina Wildlife as an agency, you know, we have to really make an effort to protect public safety," Hobbs said. "And in this situation, we have a bear with cubs who had repeatedly forced entry into a home — we're not talking about a bear that walked in through an open door, or something like that — and had received a food reward and then repeated that behavior again."

Hobbs said that, while trapping the first three bears, an additional bear entered the equation.

"While we were trapping for those bears, an additional bear came in and, once again, forced entry into the home," Hobbs said. "So we did make the decision to also put that bear down, in addition to the other bears."

Why aren't 'problem' bears relocated?

"We just don't have anywhere in North Carolina that's remote enough where there aren't people, that we can take a bear to and release, and reasonably expect it not to interact with humans again," Hobbs said.

Additionally, bears have a "built-in GPS system," meaning that they will more often than not make an effort to return to the area from which they've been relocated. Even if they don't successfully find their way back, Hobbs said evidence shows relocated bears are likely to be hit by cars, harvested by hunters or met by dominant bears in the new area.

"We're finding that relocation isn't exactly a good outcome for those bears," Hobbs said. "Even if they were to stay where they were dropped off, most of those bears die after they're relocated."

Being 'BearWise'

In short, the fate of bears like the ones euthanized lies in the hands of humans much of the time. The BearWise program aims to educate the public on how to coexist with bears — for their sake and ours.

BearWise safety recommendations include:

• Never feed or approach bears.
• Secure food, garbage and recycling.
• Remove bird feeders when bears are active.
• Never leave pet food outdoors.
• Clean and store grills and smokers.
• Alert neighbors to bear activity.

For questions and concerns, contact the NC Wildlife Helpline at 866-318-2401, on weekdays 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or email wildlifehelpline@ncwildlife.org.

Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville Answer Woman: When do black bears start hibernating? Why are bears euthanized?