Bears, gators moving closer to base Published Sept. 26, 2008 By Holly Birchfield 78 ABW/PA Robins Air Force Base, GA -- With the Ocmulgee River Swamp located directly east of Robins, it's no wonder the swamp's alligators and black bears migrate toward the base. Despite people's tendency to fear the wild animals, Bob Sargent, Natural and Cultural Resources manager in the 78th Civil Engineer Group's Environmental Management Division, said the animals are more fearful of people than they may think. "Alligators and bears have this unfortunate reputation of being very aggressive and the realty is far from that," he said. "They're actually very timid animals. Black bears, in every instance where I've had a near encounter with them, know I'm there before I knew they were there. They tend to run the other way. They know we're human and they tend to fear us." Mr. Sargent said alligators exhibit similar "flight" behavior. "Alligators also tend to be very timid animals," he said. "In most cases, they go the other way." With such a frightful outlook on humans, some people may wonder why alligators have recently been spotted in areas like Duck Lake and black bears in Outdoor Recreation's family camp ground, commonly called FAMCAMP. Mr. Sargent said the reason is both environmental and human behavior based. Recent drought conditions have made it more challenging for black bears to find food. "They move food sources from one season to another," he said. "During the summer months, they're looking for fruits. If we've had a very dry year, the production from the trees and shrubs can be quite poor, which forces them to travel over a bigger area because they're not finding enough food in the smaller territories they once had." Mr. Sargent said humans also attract the wildlife to the populated areas by not properly disposing of trash. Cheryl Dollard, director, 78th Force Support Squadron's Outdoor Recreation department, said her department recently installed bear-proof trashcans to lessen the problem. "If you're in our outdoor recreation areas, like our base parks, at the lakes, and on the trails, we ask that you take your trash out and make sure you put it in our bear-proof dumpsters," she said. Mr. Sargent said federal law prohibits the feeding or harassment of wild animals. People who feed such animals are not only violating the law, but they're also putting people in danger. Danny Jones, entomology shop foreman in the 78th Civil Engineer Squadron, said his job has recently shifted from pest control to addressing wildlife issues. Mr. Jones said in the past few years, wildlife has found its way on the airfield. "We do some of the trapping and exclusion if we can," he said. "We try to do that with almost all of the wildlife." Mr. Jones said Robins' biggest priority is to keep wildlife from interfering with the airfield. "Typically, when we have issues on the airfield, they require immediate attention due to the danger of animals finding their way on the runway," he said. With wildlife habitat so close by, Mr. Jones said people have to learn to coexist with the creatures. "We're going to have to live with them," he said. "Our biggest concern is that some of the population is not concerned with the welfare of the animals and the wildlife we deal with. They feed the animals with the intention of doing a good thing, but what they're doing is making the animals feel comfortable around the public and it's very dangerous." Mr. Sargent said if people were to encounter a black bear or alligator, they should not approach the animal. "Just slowly back away," he said. "Talk out loud to the animal and reinforce the idea that you're human and to instill fear in them." Mr. Sargent said people shouldn't throw objects at wildlife or run from animals as it may elicit a "chase response" in some animals. Mr. Sargent said Air Force Instruction 48-131 mandates that pets be kept on leash on base, a practice that he said protects both the pets and the wildlife. Mrs. Dollard said people shouldn't be alarmed if they see bears or alligators, but instead they should report the incident.