Pond Visitors

[mrtrumpet]

This is a new type of visitor for me. Not entirely unwelcome, but certainly could be so. 'Til now, not a problem. But mama found the stream the other day and has been drinking from it. In this shot, taken from my deck, and right next to my pond (still with 6 koi), baby #1 heard me and scampered up the tree. Mama is on the bottom right looking for baby #2. Glad I wasn't between them!

Anybody else dealt with these guys? Any problems? If so, what did you do to try and control things?

 

[Big Lou]

Zero bears here.

 

[peter hillman]

Great pic, but I see your concern. You have to be careful dealing with bears, you may have broken some state law already just for photographing it.

 

[MitchM]

Bears remember where they found something to eat or drink.
You should expect for them to come back, so make sure that when they do come back, all they find is water.
No bird feeders or pet food outside, fruit trees will be enticing to them.
If you want the bear visits to remain harmless, you must take everything you do outside into consideration of the bears.
If the bears become a threat your safety, call your fish and wildlife authorities. The bears may need to be relocated.
It's better that the bears be relocated than having to be killed.
We have education programs in our area on how to deal with local wildlife, try and find something similar in your area.

 

[mrtrumpet]

Thanks for all the concern and advice. It would be interesting to know if photographing a bear is breaking an NC law, but given the legislature here, I've got a feeling they would not be sympathetic to more "guvmint" in that regard. In fact, about 6 months ago a guy shot a bear in his yard in Asheville, and although neighbors said the bear was not threatening his life or property, they found him not guilty on appeal and the guy went free. Anyway, that shot was from inside my screen porch, so I can't see how it would break any laws.

And yes, we don't have feeders or any other food outside. But we live in a development in the NC mountains, and bears are all around. For the most part it's not a problem. We have 7 miles of trails in our development and bear sightings are not uncommon. They tend to ignore us and go about their business. But being aware of surroundings is crucial as you pointed out, Mitch. As far as that goes, I'm more concerned about stepping on a Copperhead or Rattler, then getting eaten by a bear.

My real concern is for my fish. They are plenty fearful, even of me after 6 months of living here. So I think they have probably had other (nocturnal?) visitors. But they have plenty of places to hide, so that's what they do. Still have the original 6 and want to keep it that way! Other than that, I'm not sure what I can do but hope for the best. At least I have a great canopy and so far no herons have found the pond to my knowledge!

Hoping the bears go to sleep pretty soon...