Keep Wildlife Wild

How to Help Keep Wildlife Wild 

• Don't share your food with wildlife.
• Never leave food unattended, even for a short while.
• Properly store food in a food locker or vehicle.
• Properly dispose of trash in a bear proof trash can or recycle container. Never overfill garbage cans. Take your trash to a can that is less full.
• Leave the area cleaner than you found it. Pick up food scraps, crumbs and wrappers and wipe down tabletops after eating.
• Encourage others to follow these instructions.
• Report wildlife problems to a Ranger.
• Apply what you have learned here every place you visit where wild animals exist.

Precautions when in Bear Country 

1. Keep a close watch on children, and teach them what to do if they encounter a bear.
2. While hiking, make noise to avoid a surprise encounter with a bear.
3. Never keep food in your tent.
4. Store food and toiletries in bear-proof containers or in an airtight container in the trunk of your vehicle.
5. Keep a clean camp by cleaning up and storing food and garbage immediately after meals.
6. Use bear-proof garbage cans whenever possible or store your garbage in a secure location with your food.
7. Never approach a bear or pick up a bear cub.
8. If you encounter a bear, do not run; instead, face the animal, make noise and try to appear as large as possible.
9. If attacked, fight back.
10. If a bear attacks a person, immediately call 911.

Stash Your Food and Trash 

• Store garbage in bear-proof containers, or store garbage in your garage until pick-up.
• Keep food indoors or in airtight and odor-free containers.
• Put away picnic leftovers; clean BBQ grills.
• Keep pet food inside, and bird feeders away.
• Pick up fallen tree fruit as soon as possible, or protect fruit trees with electric fencing.
• Remove cosmetic fragrances and other attractants, including bird feeders and compost piles.
• Install or request bear-proof trash containers.

Staying Safe in Mountain Lion Country 

• Do not hike, bike, or jog alone.
• Avoid hiking or jogging when mountain lions are most active-dawn, dusk, and at night.
• Keep a close watch on small children.
• Do not approach a mountain lion.
• If you encounter a mountain lion, do not run; instead, face the animal, make noise and try to look bigger by waving your arms; throw rocks or other objects. Pick up small children.
• If attacked, fight back.
• If a mountain lion attacks a person, immediately call 911.

Keeping Deer Wild 

• Never intentionally feed deer.
• Landscape with deer-resistant plants.
• Enclose gardens with eight-foot fencing or use deer-proof fencing.
• Pick up fallen tree fruit.
• Install motion-sensitive lighting around the house and garden.
• Consider using commercially prepared deer repellents (available at garden supply stores.)

Why Feeding Squirrels is a Bad Idea 

• Food reward that animals associate with humans can result in their loss of fear of humans. This change in behavior may lead to property damage and human injury.
• Squirrels can become dependent on seasonably unreliable food sources.
• Negative health effects and overpopulation can result from feeding on unnatural food sources.
• Fed squirrels have a greater susceptibility to predators and vehicle collisions.
• Squirrels can pose a serious threat to humans. They can transmit diseases such as rabies and bubonic plague, even if you don't make contact with them.
• Tree squirrels might carry diseases that could affect humans, but, as a practical matter, instances where squirrels have transmitted disease to humans are rare.