How to Keep Bears Out of Your Yard Emergency Contacts |
About Missoula Bears Missoula Bears is an informational resource for residents living with wildlife in the Missoula area. This website is a result of years of working with Rattlesnake residents to reduce bear-human conflicts. In 2009 we decided to expand our efforts to include all of Missoula city and county. Historically, what is now Missoula city and county was full of wild, open spaces, excellent habitat and bountiful wildlife including black and grizzly bears, moose, elk, deer, lynx as well as many other species. In the mid 1950s human development accelerated fracturing large portions of this habitat. Wildlife-human conflicts began as this previously open space became developed and wildlife had to navigate roads, homes, livestock and more. Bears are opportunistic omnivores, which means, they will eat most things that humans and our domestic animals eat as they come across these items. As bears walk amidst our urban environments they are sidetracked by unnatural food resources such as garbage, birdseed and horse grain, to name a few. Bears that receive these positive food rewards near people lose their fear of humans and become acclimated to living in close proximity to homes. These bears are “habituated”. As bears become more and more habituated, they become bolder, making them a safety risk for humans. It is also dangerous for the bears to be living among humans. The primary cause of death for bears in Missoula is human-related mortalities. This includes bears hit by cars and trains and bears removed by management agencies. 
A Fed Bear is a Dead Bear! We can help reduce bear mortalities and improve human safety by minimizing the availability of un-natural food attractants! Together with our partners we have chosen a proactive approach to this problem. Our goal is to increase local awareness by disseminating information and assisting neighbors. Our plan is intended to reduce conflicts with wildlife, while also:
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