Small municipalities and villages, especially in areas with higher density of the bear population, have no designated landfills secured with a perimeter fence, or the existing ones are little more than a makeshift garbage dump. Such a dump is likely to attract bears looking for an ‘easy meal’, prompting the animals to associate human scent with a pleasant – and belly-filling – experience. A bear conditioned to the eating of leftovers of human food can never be de-conditioned! This breeds the risk of bears coming into direct contacts with humans, with all the unwanted aggravations such encounters may entail.

Therefore we should simply stop throwing away our garbage, leftover food or dead animal carcasses outside the specifically designated areas. Stockpiling household waste or building landfills in bear country is totally unacceptable. Bears have a very well developed sense of smell and are capable of detecting and digging even buried organic waste out of the ground. A landfill must be secured with a perimeter fence that precludes any access by wild animals. Here, too, an electric fence is the best option, fitted with gates that must be kept tightly closed at all times.