The Outdoor Scene Says Avoid Tempting Bears by Removing Food Sources
Pascoag, R.I.: People love to see a black bear in its natural surroundings, but when a bear ventures into human territory, problems can occur.
All the New England wardens and biologists are receiving reports of hungry bears getting into trash containers as well as raiding bird feeders, bee hives and chicken houses.
“Human conflicts involving bears are increasing this spring,” said Wayne G. Barber, host of the OUTDOOR SCENE exclaims the bears are responding to events in search of easy calories. As with most wildlife conflicts, these can be easily avoided by taking steps to secure food sources and making them inaccessible to hungry bears.”
“People sometimes unintentionally encourage bears to come out of the forest by providing food,” says OUTDOOR SCENE guest, Ben Kilham, New Hampshire's top black bear expert. “Once bears become used to these food sources and come into frequent human contact, people sometimes call them nuisance bears. But, they are just being bears! It is nearly impossible to relocate a nuisance bear. Unfortunately, they frequently have to be put down.”
Some of the most common sources of food that attract bears are: bird feeders, barbecue grills, garbage, household trash containers, open dumpsters, pet food and campsites with accessible food and food wastes.
Purposely feeding a bear is not just bad for the bear, it’s also illegal through out New England.
Residents must take reasonable measures to protect their property from bears before lethal force can be taken. Some of these measures include:
- Keep chickens and honeybees secure within an electric fence or other bear-proof enclosure.
- Never feed bears, deliberately or accidentally.
- Feed pets indoors.
- Do not feed birds April 1 through November 30. Bringing feeders in at night doesn’t work, because of seed spilled on the ground.
- Store trash in a secure place. Trash cans alone are not bear-proof.
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