People love to see the Eastern Black Bear in its natural surroundings. But when bears venture into human territory, problems can occur. Often, bears pay the price.
People often encourage bears to come out of the forest by providing food without realizing it. 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!
Some of the most common sources of food that attract bears are: pet food, bird feeders, barbecue grills, garbage, household trash containers, open dumpsters, and campsites with accessible food and food wastes.
Here's what you can do to keep from attracting bears out of their forest habitat.
- Never feed bears, deliberately or accidentally.
- Feed your pets indoors.
- Feed birds from December to March only.
- Store trash in a secure place-trash cans alone are not enough!
