Why are bears hugging and licking trees in Georgia? Bear experts have an explanation
Black bears are being caught by trail cameras passionately hugging and licking trees in Georgia — and the state Department of Natural Resources has an explanation.
“Is there something fishy in the woods?” the Georgia DNR posted this week on Facebook. “Every summer, Game Management staff lure black bears to scent stations across the state to gather data used to help determine trends in Georgia’s bear populations. The lure of choice? Sardine cans nailed to a tree.”
The state shared 30 seconds of trail camera footage showing an example of a bear enjoying the fishy lure. A bear is seen standing on its hind legs, arms wrapped around the tree, with its mouth gnawing at one of the cans. The bear successfully pulls it off the tree with its teeth, and is seen walking away with the can in its mouth.
Nailing cans of sardines to trees is a July ritual that dates back about 15 years in Middle Georgia, DNR officials said. The stations are spread across about six counties, with each site consisting of three cans. The food is nailed high up and left for seven days to see what happens.
DNR officials have not explained why they settled on canned sardines rather than Spam or a cheap brand of dog food. Bears are clearly not picky, given their love of trash bins.
But state bear experts did say that having the food in a can is important.
“The sardines are left in the can so we can determine that a bear visited and not some other animal like a raccoon or a opossum,” DNR officials explained in a Facebook post. “You can tell by the sign left on the cans that a bear opened it, and most of the times the cans are nailed so tight to the tree that only a bear can get it off.”
Black bears grow to about 500 pounds in Georgia and are good at climbing, swimming and running, with the ability to sprint at 30 mph, according to a state report. July is typically when they mate.
This story was originally published August 7, 2020 at 8:29 AM with the headline "Why are bears hugging and licking trees in Georgia? Bear experts have an explanation."