Juneau, Alaska (KINY)- The Governor’s Office has proclaimed April as Bear Awareness Month.
To help keep people and bears safe it is important to secure all of your bear attractants.
Please watch read the messages and watch the short video that suggest tips on how to keep bear attractants in a secure place.
Some tips to remember as bears become active include the following:
- Garbage – Store trash inside buildings or in bear-proof containers; keep secured until the day of scheduled pickup. Encourage neighbors to do the same.
- Electric fences – Electric fences can keep bears out of gardens, compost, and away from buildings, chicken coops, and domestic animals. For more information, contact your area department office or the visit the department webpage.
- Barbecues – Clean barbecue grills, especially grease traps, after each use.
- Pets – Feed pets indoors or clean up excess and spilled food between meals. Store pet food, livestock food and birdseed indoors or in bear-resistant containers.
- Bird Feeders – Take feeders down April through October, store out of bears’ reach and remove spilled seeds.
- Freezers – Keep freezers locked in a secure building or otherwise out of bears’ reach.
- Gardens – Plant gardens in the open, away from cover and game trails. Only compost raw vegetable matter and turn over compost frequently.
