Preventing bears from looking for food in your backyard

WAYNESBORO, Va. (WVIR) - It is now bear season. Black bears are waking up from their long winter slumber.

After a long sleep, the bears are going through trash cans, compost bins, and bird feeders to access easy food sources.

The Wildlife Center of Virginia says the best way to stop bears by your neighborhood is to remove the easy food sources.

It says prevention is key, and to put trash cans, bird feeders, and even your grill inside the garage or locked in a shed.

“Bears have a phenomenal sense of smell. Conservative research estimates state that a bear can catch the scent of a food item from over a mile away. That’s orders of magnitude greater than even a bloodhound,” Wildlife Center outreach coordinator Alex Wehrung said.

The wildlife center says bears try to avoid humans and are skittish when it comes to new surroundings, but if they smell food, they’ll wander into neighborhoods and backyards.

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