A warning from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife: The black bear population is active and thriving in the state. 

June and July are typically when MassWildlife representatives see the most bear activity across the commonwealth, with Central and Western Mass. seeing rapid growth in the population in recent years.

Biologists say that, for the health and safety of the bears, it’s time to put bird feeders and any other outdoor food sources away.

“It’s the bird feeders and other foods around their homes that are attracting bears to our homes, to our neighborhoods, to our yards,” said David Wattles, a MassWildlife black bear and furbearer biologist. “And eventually it leads to bad behaviors in the bears. The more they get used to feeding around our homes, the bolder they get, and now they’ll enter a shed ,a garage to access bird seed.

“They encounter chicken coops. This is becoming a big problem for us. As they’re in backyards feeding at bird feeders, they encounter chicken coops, bee hives, and there’s no chicken coop you can build that strong enough to keep out a bear. So we really need the public who has chickens to use electric fencing.”

Wattles says residents shouldn’t be concerned about bears as a public safety threat. If you do encounter a black bear outdoors, he recommends maintaining space, and calmly talking to the bear.

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Author: mkmcst

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