- KING COUNTY, WA - The warmer
weather this month is not only getting the attention of forecasters and
skiers, but the animals are starting to notice as well. That means you
might want to be careful in the woods.
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- The tropical air and warmer temperatures are making headlines
several miles away. Even Yogi Bear in Jellystone Park has noticed that
it's just too warm to be sleeping.
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- January is normally hibernation time for bears.
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- "These guys are waking up," says Rocky Spencer
with the North Bend Ranger Station. "When we begin to look at these
record-high temperatures like we've been seeing, they (the bears) begin
to wake-up."
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- Even though the bears around here don't have a traditional
"long" hibernation, they're still usually still asleep in late
January. And when you wake-up, you're usually hungry. The bears are the
same.
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- "They might be looking for bird feeders and barbecues
and that kind of thing," Spencer adds. "You know, these guys
start coming out early like this and there isn't any food, people are going
to have to be very diligent about keeping pet food and bird feeders inside."
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- While there haven't been a lot of sightings so far, Spencer
says if things continue to be warm, those living near the woods should
be on the look-out.
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- Spotting a bear in the backyard is just something we're
not used to seeing in January.
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- "This is generally something we begin to see in
mid-March. This is very, very early," Spencer says.
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