A carrot thief appears to be working the neighborhood. We hear that a black bear has been visiting gardens around the peninsula stealing carrots and beets. I assume this is the same black bear that made its presence known in our compound in early July.
This has been a bad weather season for us, as the draught and heat down south locked cooler, wetter weather over our region for most of the summer. Growing seasons are out of whack. I imagine this affects the berries in the area as well, which could be creating problems for bears. This carrot thief has discovered the sweetest vegetables we grow around here. Sweet equals calories, and calories are vital for bears as they work toward hibernation.
This may not be entirely true, though. Bears are experimental omnivores, willing to try just about anything once. And, if it tastes good to them, they’ll seek out more—a lot more. Then, too, black bears tend to be marginalized in areas, like this one, inhabited by brown bears, which commonly regard black bears as prey. This “blackie” likely has been pushed to the edge of prime bear habitat by ursine population pressures. Our peninsula has no major fish streams, and berries are scarce on the lower slopes. There’s just not much to feed a bear around here, other than what people grow.
Whatever the reason, we’re on alert now. Hopefully, the carrot thief is the same individual that haunted our homestead earlier; it may have given up on us as a resource. And, perhaps it’ll move on soon. Time will tell.