With bear activity already occurring around the Tahoe Basin and this week being the first official week of spring, more wildlife will be emerging as warmer weather becomes more frequent. Knowing how to act around bears and understanding their behavior is essential for life in the mountains.
This year, bear activity appears to have increased for an unknown reason — even with a snowy winter, which usually translates to less activity. According to Ann Bryant, executive director of Bear League, many bears didn’t hibernate at all this winter.
“We had a record winter with the numbers of bears that did not hibernate,” said Bryant. “We had families of bears and individual bears that did not den in almost every community.” Bear League is a non-profit organization that provides bear education and removal resources to the Tahoe area and beyond. Bryant said that this year also saw multiple instances of bears hibernating and giving birth to cubs underneath homes. She encourages residents to check their home and make sure things like crawl spaces are secure.