Wildlife Safety in Mammoth Lakes
The ASO Mammoth team loves all types of outdoor sports like skiing, snowboarding, and mountain biking that get us outside year-round in Mammoth Lakes, but our favorite part of any outdoor sport is simply being outside.
We’re not alone either.
Mammoth Lakes’ jaw-dropping natural setting attracts visitors from all over the world, but it also attracts countless wildlife species that we share our mountain home with. If you’re visiting Mammoth Lakes then you’re also sharing it with the wildlife that calls this area home, so the ASO Mammoth team has put together a quick list of tips to doing just that! Check it out below before your next trip to Mammoth Lakes and stop by the ASO Mammoth shop before you head out into the Mountains!
Give Animals the Space They Deserve
As exciting as seeing a bear, elk, or other animal in the wild is, you must remember to not approach them and to never feed them.
Simply put, human and wildlife encounters often end poorly, and the ones that don’t then encourage animals to approach humans more often. That’s why the best way to admire wildlife in Mammoth Lakes and everywhere else is from afar. Whether it’s a Marmot or a Black Bear, it’s in your best interest and the best interest of the animal for you to keep your distance. Watch this wild video (pun intended) taken by Pastor J Neville while fishing in Mammoth Lakes when a friendly and fearless black bear approaches. He calmly films and doesn’t interfere with the bear’s passing, nor does he run.
NEVER Leave Food Outside
The most common reason people and wildlife cross paths is because the animal is searching for food. Simply bringing your food inside or placing it in an odor proof container drastically reduces the chances that you’ll have an unexpected encounter.
If you’re camping near Mammoth Lakes, then carry a bear canister so that you can safely store your food without attracting bears and other wildlife to your campsite. Bear canisters are easy to find in stores and online, and many stores rent them out, so you should have no trouble finding one that works for you ahead of your next camping trip. Plus, many campgrounds have bear lockers designed to store large amounts of food from bears.
We love having guests over for dinner as much as anyone else, but when those guests are bears and other wildlife everyone is put into a dangerous situation. That’s why you must also remember that if you’re cooking outside at home you need to bring all food and trash inside as soon as you’re done eating unlike these lunchers at a Mammoth Lakes campground.
Don’t Cook Near Your Tent
If you’re camping and cooking, then do your best to keep the odors from your food from sticking around where you’re sleeping. The smell of your food will linger well after you’re done eating, so it’s important that you keep it from getting on your tent and the clothes you wear to sleep!
Leave No Trace
Just like the smell of food lingers in the air after you’ve cooked, it also lingers in your trash, so don’t leave it out for Mammoth Lakes wildlife to find!
Anyone spending time in Mammoth Lakes’ outdoors should follow the Leave No Trace Principles which, as the name implies, guide people to leave wherever they’re visiting just the way they found it. Not only will following Leave No Trace principles protect the environment, but it also protects the animals that bring life to it!
Keep Your Pets on a Leash
Even the best trained pets are unpredictable in the presence of wildlife, so if you’re on the trail or just out for a walk keep them on a leash to protect everyone!