To CT Media and Marketing Pros: Please Help Educate the Public About Bears

In CT DEEP's sudden burst of negative press on bears, it’s deeply unfortunate that they failed to mention the simple steps to avoid attracting bears.  If CT DEEP really wants to educate the public on bears, those were multiple missed opportunities.

Given that climate change is already killing off huge numbers of wildlife, we don't need to kill off even more for responding to the nuisance that we humans create and habituate them to.

So we are asking CT media to kindly include a public service message whenever you cover bear stories.  Even better, don’t wait for the next bad news bear story.  Here’s some particularly good info from New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Vermont.

As the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department puts it, “It is your responsibility to avoid attracting bears. The most common sources of food that attract bears are: pet food, bird feeders, barbecue grills, garbage, household trash containers, open dumpsters, and sites with accessible food and food wastes. 

MassWildlife has a terrific short YouTube video: Keep Bears Wild: Avoid Feeding Them. “The public needs to take responsibility and make their property unattractive to bears.”

And New Hampshire has this handy flyer to get the message across.   

Maybe CT DEEP will soon commission a one pager, TV or radio PSA to get the bear safety message out. Or maybe some crafty marketing whizzes will take it upon themselves.  Until then, thank you for including any of these simple steps whenever you cover a bear story.