Mass. officers urge residents to be bear-aware as temps heat

Native Information

Massachusetts bears are increasing eastward, MassWildlife mentioned.

As temperatures begin to rise, Massachusetts wildlife consultants are reminding residents to remember that hungry bears are rising from their winter dens and in search of meals. 

MassWildlife officers suggested residents to take down hen feeders as a result of bears will typically go for “a simple meal at a yard hen feeder,” ignoring seasonally out there meals like skunk cabbage, acorns, or nuts. 

“Different species, together with wild turkeys and coyotes, may frequent hen feeders which may result in extra human-wildlife battle,” they wrote in a launch issued final month.

Rubbish must be saved in closed containers in a storage or outbuilding and solely moved to the roadside on the morning of pickup. 

“People must also safe bee hives, chickens, and livestock,” they wrote. “Coops and rooster wire present insufficient safety from black bears.” 

The one strategy to totally shield chickens or bee hives from bears is with electrical fencing. 

Pets must be protected too, the group mentioned. It suggested residents to examine their yards earlier than letting canines exterior and to maintain them leashed on walks. 

“The presence of a canine might set off a bear to be aggressive,” they mentioned. “By no means let canines chase or work together with bears.”

MassDOT Security issued an identical assertion on social media that requested motorists to be “beary cautious,” slowing down on wooded roads, utilizing high-beam headlights, and scanning street edges. 

“Newly matured male cubs typically cross roads between patches of forest, trying to find their very own territory,” the company wrote in a publish on X. 

Residents of northern Middlesex County, Worcester County, and western Massachusetts, the place bears have been noticed, must be particularly vigilant, MassWildlife mentioned. There are a minimum of 4,500 black bears in Massachusetts and they’re increasing eastward.