Bears emerging from dens 2 weeks ahead of schedule
Adult males den at lower elevations and are roused by water seeping into their dens, says biologist
Spring is arriving early across much of the Yukon, prompting bears to wake up from their winter slumber earlier than usual.
Ramona Maraj, a Yukon carnivore biologist, said there have been reports and signs that some adult male bears have left their dens.
"In various places of the southern part of the Yukon, they're already out," she said in an interview with A New Day.
"The males come out around March 15, anyway, and so they're just about two weeks early."
Maraj said warmer weather causes meltwater to seep into the dens. That acts like an alarm clock.
"They're not too happy to sit in a pool of water while they're trying to hibertnate."
Males typically den at lower elevations, so they're the first to wake up. Maraj said they'll be followed by the lone females, who den closer to treeline. The mothers with cubs den at the highest elevations and typically come out in May and June, when berry season is starting.
Maraj expects all of the bear groups to emerge a bit earlier than usual this year.
Bears that are awake now will be munching on grasses and sedges and perhaps scavenging for a frozen moose or sheep carcass, said Maraj.
With files from A New Day