{"id":2976,"date":"2019-08-10T06:00:13","date_gmt":"2019-08-10T11:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glampingorcamping.com\/home\/?p=2976"},"modified":"2019-08-08T13:04:33","modified_gmt":"2019-08-08T18:04:33","slug":"are-bears-attracted-to-human-urine-and-feces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glampingorcamping.com\/home\/are-bears-attracted-to-human-urine-and-feces\/","title":{"rendered":"Bears Are Attracted To Human Feces and Urine ( Here’s how to stop it )"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Bears live in just about every area of the United States where there is wilderness \u2013 mountains, forests, and even grasslands. With the influx of people visiting these areas, bear sightings are becoming more frequent. What attracts bears to people? It happens to be that bears are attracted to areas where people have defecated in the woods (or grasslands) and urinated on trees, bushes, rocks, or anywhere there is a spot. Utah Division of Wildlife Resource emphasizes that bear incidents have more than doubled in 2019. Might be due to the wet spring or the number of hikers in the forest and using the trees as a \u201cmarked spot.\u201d\u00a0 The Division says, \u201cStop feeding the bears, stop defecating in the woods, and don\u2019t mark trees with urine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Are bears attracted to human urine and feces?<\/p>\n

A statement from the US National Forest services sounds a resounding “Yes\u201d, bears are attracted to human urine and feces.\u00a0 You have to do your business somewhere, but the best place is away from your campsite or even pee into a bottle or container and bury it or dispose of it when you leave your campsite. When you need to go number two, don\u2019t do it anywhere near your campsite. Dig a hole and squat. Cover the hole and stamp it down with your foot. Do this at least 100\u2019 away from camp and 100\u2019 from water sources. Remember other good practices to keep bears out of your camp and if you have to go in the woods, bury it deep.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is an \u201cold wives\u2019 tale\u201d that marking your campsite is a good way to keep bears from crossing into your camp. After all, no bear would cross into a \u201cmarked\u201d site. Not so. Urine odor attracts bears. Human feces is even more attractive to bears. Rangers tell campers that your feces and the toilet paper you use or the tampons women use are harmful to the bear’s digestive system. Seriously, there are stories where a bear has died after eating human waste, including toilet paper.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeave No Trace\u201d is the best advice for bear safety. It is important to note that when you enter the bear country, you are entering someone else\u2019s home. When you are a guest a friends house, you are usually respectful. You don\u2019t defecate or urinate wherever you want; so, do be respectful in the woods. \u201cLeave no trace\u201d means burying your human waste.<\/p>\n

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