Bear advocates in Lake Tahoe are asking homeowners to block off their crawl spaces - after a bear recently became trapped inside one.
According to the BEAR League, it happened near Tahoe's North Shore.
The group says a homeowner saw a bear under their house and called a handyman.
The handyman yelled inside the crawl space and thought the bear had left.
The bear hadn't though and later got stuck due to new bear wires the handyman installed.
The homeowner then called the BEAR League.
They were then able to get the bear out.
If this happens to you, the group recommends you call them or can also reach out to the Nevada or California Department Of Wildlife.
NDOW asks everyone to follow these steps to keep bears wild:
* Secure your garbage: 95% of bear calls are garbage-related. Securing and bear proofing your trash is the best thing you can do to deter bears and keep them wild. Washoe County Waste Management offers bear-resistant garbage cans that can be left out. You can request one by calling (775) 329-8822. In the meantime, keep your garbage cans stored in a locked shed or garage and only put it out the morning of trash pickup.
* Be aware: Washoe County has a garbage ordinance in place which requires residents to secure their trash to prevent bears from getting into them. Failure to do so can result in fines. Repeated violations can be reported to (775) 328-6101.
* Remove bird feeders from dusk to dawn.
* Remove other attractants from your yard (fruit from fruit trees, pet food, clean dirty barbeques, trash, and all other food/scented items.)
* As a precaution remove food, trash, and other scented items from vehicles. Keep vehicle windows up and doors locked when not in use.
* Install electric fencing around beehives, chicken coops, and livestock. For more information click here.
* If you see bears near your home, scare them away: From an open window or safe distance, yell loudly and/or bang pots and pans. Yelling things like “Hey bear!”, “Go bear!”, “Get out of here bear!” alerts those around you to what’s going on. You can also trigger your car alarm to try to scare them off as well. These methods can help “negatively condition” bears to humans and houses and teach them that it is not okay to enter these areas.
For more information and resources for living in bear country, visit https://www.ndow.org/blog/living-with-bears/.
You can also view video at When Bears and Humans Collide - YouTube
You can also visit: https://tahoebears.org and https://bearwise.org
