Black Bears

September 22, 2022

Question: There are some problem bears in our small community of cabins and vacation homes in the Mammoth Lakes area. Specifically, we have a mother bear with two cubs routinely breaking into properties looking for food and making a mess. The property damage is extensive. Does CDFW relocate problem bears?

Answer: We’re very sorry to hear about these unwanted human-bear encounters. The root cause of most human-bear conflicts throughout California is black bears gaining access to food attractants such as human or pet food and garbage. This is often due to unintentional or intentional feeding, both of which are illegal in addition to being unhealthy and harmful for the bear. This leads to predictably bold and destructive bear behavior. Human-food conditioned bears lose their natural and healthy fear of people, and then they can become increasingly brazen in their attempts to gain access to human food and trash. In your case, sadly, it appears we have a sow – mother bear – teaching these destructive behaviors to her cubs.

We always recommend that you report bear issues to CDFW when they first occur and before they escalate. One of the easiest and most effective ways to report bear and other wildlife conflicts to CDFW is through our statewide online Wildlife Incident Reporting (WIR) system. These reports are closely monitored and directed to the appropriate wildlife biologists and human-wildlife conflict specialists in your area who can assist.

Given the severity of your situation, CDFW is still able to help and would be happy to meet with you and your neighbors to discuss best practices for securing food and garbage that likely are luring the bears to your community. It will take a community-wide effort to solve the problems you are now facing. CDFW staff can also suggest other non-lethal deterrents that have proven safe and effective in resolving bear conflicts such as electric fencing or electrified door mats.

Relocation is never an ideal option, as it often simply moves the problem bear to another community to deal with. Bears can be territorial, so relocating a problem bear can also set it up for a life-and-death conflict with other bears already in the area. Relocated bears can and do travel hundreds of miles to return to their home areas. CDFW’s Black Bear Policy in California, which was updated earlier this year, explains the various options for dealing with conflict bears in California. Thanks for reaching out. We look forward to working with you and your neighbors to assist in safely coexisting with your black bear neighbors.