Beware of The Bears!

7/26/2022 (Permalink)

Black Bear wanders through yard

If you’re tired of hearing about sharks for the past few weeks, another scary animal seems to be roaming through neighborhoods now. The black bear.! There have been many sightings here in the northeast, more than normal! From NY to CT black bears have been caught on home surveillance cameras in the swimming pool, on the trampoline, in the garbage, in a bird feeder and just roaming around neighborhoods seemingly up to no good. 

There are an estimated 3,000 black bears roaming the NY CT border. There are about 8,000 black bears in the wild. NY and CT have lots of mountains, hills and trails. I personally saw a black bear while hiking with friends last year. As the man on the trail turned to us to all be quiet, he motioned with his arms in the air and silently mouthed bear! I turned to my friends and saw their backs as they took off in the direction we had just been hiking. They had cut and run. I wasn’t too far behind them either! 

Saturday afternoon my brother who lives in CT, went to the store and while he was gone, a black bear wandered onto his driveway through his backyard to a stream that is there. I’m sure the bear was just trying to cool off from the blistering heat wave, but where did he come from?   

Ed McGowan, the director of Trailside Museum and Zoo at Bear Mountain State Park, said that in the 15 years he has worked at Bear Mountain, there has been a definite increase in bears roaming the area.  

Even though the zoo has its own bears, non-zoo bears sometimes end up wandering the premises. 

There have also been more bears in the park system in general. "They can be found anywhere with woods or natural cover," McGowan said. 

What to do? I researched a few things and came up with these tips 

The best way to prevent wildlife encounters from happening on your property is to remove any sources of food, water or shelter, which animals need to survive. 

During the summer months it is especially important to secure garbage and to keep pet food inside,  

Bird feeders tend to attract bears and popular consensus is that birds have no trouble finding food on their own in the summer months especially. 

Never approach, surround or corner a bear: Bears aggressively defend themselves when they feel threatened. Be especially cautious around cubs as mother bears are very protective. 

Never run from a bear: Stay calm, speak in a loud and calm voice, slowly back away and leave the area. 

If there is food out, they are going to try and get to it. Clean up after your BBQs ! 

 
A bear is nothing more than a large raccoon," Tom Koepf of the Department of Environmental Conservation told WABC-TV at the time. "If there's food out they're going to eat it, they're just scavengers." 

By April 1st bird feeders should be removed according to NYS DEC recommendations. Garbage cans should be emptied frequently and kept clean. Compost piles should be moved as far away from houses as possible. Grills with leftover grease can also attract bears, officials warned. 

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) advises that bears will only be encouraged to leave an area unless the bear creates a public disturbance, acts aggressively towards people or pets, attempts to enter homes or is injured and cannot move freely to escape. 

Any aggressive, attacking or emergency behavior should immediately be reported by calling 911.  

For more information on bears or how to avoid encountering them, visit www.dec.ny.gov