Black bear at bird feeder (photo provided by NYSDEC)
As black bears start to emerge from their dens for Spring, people are reminded to take down their bird feeders and secure garbage to avoid potential conflicts.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Wildlife Biologist Jeremy Hurst said repeated access to bird feeders and garbage can make bears bolder, “Bears are going to be out looking for food. They’re not voraciously looking for food coming out of the den, but they’re hungry and they need to find food. And so they can easily find it in bird feeders, garbage cans, and any pet food or livestock feed that you store outside. So those are really the targets so we want to try to remove from the outside space and make sure they’re not a problem for bears.”
Hurst recommends securing garbage either inside the house or inside a secure out-building until the morning of garbage collection.
Hurst reminds residents that feeding black bears intentionally is illegal, “It’s also illegal to continue to feed them incidentally through bird feeders and garbage after we warned you not to. Cause that can cause problems not just for you, it’s not just your garbage can that gets knocked over, but it’s your neighbors, and next door neighbors, and the whole community is impacted by how you keep your space.”
If you encounter a bear in your yard, the DEC recommends you contact the local DEC Wildlife Office in Buffalo at (716) 851-7010.
Leave a Reply