Don't feed the animals

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Rachelle Elsea
  • 325th Fighter Wing/ Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Balfour Beatty Communities held a Resident Bear Aware Briefing at the Community Management Office Aug. 25 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. to teach residents how to respond to bears and prevent them from entering base housing.

With almost 100 cases of bears in housing over the last month, bear citings are at an all time high. The briefings will continue monthly during bear season due to the population changing constantly as servicemembers come and go.

Belfour Beatty Communities are doing all they can to get involved with this problem.

Maria F. Williams, the Northwest Regional Outreach Specialist from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, spoke at the briefing.

Ms. Williams began the briefing by teaching residents how to act when confronted by a bear.

"Slowly walk backwards and do not make eye contact'" said Ms. Williams. "Keep your voice low and steady and if comfortable, raise your arms straight above your head. Never run from a bear."

If the bear is a good distance away, she suggests returning to your home, cracking a couple windows and making some loud noises. A fog horn is preferable but she also suggests banging pots and pans together. This may deter the bear from your home.

Bear are only after one thing, and that is a good meal.

If you try to approach a bear or offer them food, they will be back.

"A wild bear that sees us will run the other way, whereas a bear that gets used to our food looses respect for us," said Ms. Williams.

Remove food sources from around your home. These sources consist of: Garbage cans, pet food, grills, and bird feeder. Do not put your trash out until the morning of pick-up.

Belfour Beatty Communities are doing all they can to get involved with this problem.

"We need the resident's help to keep the bears out of our neighborhood, so they will return to their habitat," said Teri Henry, the Balfour Beatty Community Manager. "If the problem persists, the bears will have to be captures and that is not what we want."

This advice is to be taken seriously. There have never been any reports of bear attacks in Florida and Tyndall Air Force Base does not want to be the first.

" If we feed the bears they will start seeing us as another bear and that is why it is important to take precautions so that Florida bears can remain wild and keep their respect for humans," said Ms. Williams.