Louisiana DWF Advisory on Black Bears in St. Mary Parish

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries 03.11.13

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is again advising St. Mary Parish residents to take precautions to minimize encounters with black bears. Today’s advisory follows the recent injury of a dog that chased a bear in a Patterson neighborhood.

Bears are seeking food sources in and around neighborhoods throughout the parish. This can include plentiful live oak acorns in people’s yards and unsecured garbage containers. Pet food containers left outdoors will also attract black bears.

LDWF has partnered with St. Mary Parish to provide homeowners bear-proof garbage containers to control this easy-access food source problem. Homeowners who already have bear-proof garbage containers are advised to make sure the cans are locked and not overfilled.

During this peak time of higher than normal bear activity, residents are advised to secure their dogs. Bears are normally shy and non-confrontational, but will protect themselves and their cubs when chased by dogs.

LDWF will continue to set traps in neighborhoods where nuisance bears re-appear and work with the parish to ensure compliance with bear-proof garbage container instructions. Intentional feeding of bears is against state law and violators are subject to citations. Patrols in this area will increase during this time to help minimize problems. Residents should report broken garbage containers to the St. Mary Parish bear conflict officer at 337-828-4100. To report problems with bears cal 1-800-442-2511.

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries – Enforcement Division(LDWF) is the fish & game regulatory agency of Louisiana. It has jurisdictionanywhere in the state, and in state territorial waters. The agency enforces both state and federal laws dealing with hunting, fishing, and boating safety. The agency also enforces criminal laws in rural areas including DWI enforcement both on highways and waterways. Most of the Department’s Wildlife Agents also carry Federal law enforcement commissions issued from the United States Department of the Interior - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and United States Department of Commerce - U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). These federal commissions allow these state officers to enforce federal migratory waterfowl laws and federal marine fisheries laws in state and federal waters off the coast of Louisiana. Besides their traditional role as a “game warden”, Louisiana Wildlife Enforcement Agents also have a number of other responsibilities, including conducting board of health inspections on some portions of the state’s commercial fishing industry. Agents are trained in and conduct numerous search and rescue operations, both in remote land areas and on the state’s waterways. Agents ensure that hunters, anglers, boaters, dealers, breeders, farmers, and transporters are in compliance with regulations governing equipment, quotas, licenses, and registrations. Agents also assist other State departments and law enforcement agencies in the coordination of educational and professional endeavors, as well as national and state emergency alerts by the Federal Office of Emergency Preparedness. In addition, agents perform search and rescue missions alone or in conjunction with other local, state, and federal agencies.