In Connecticut, the bear population has boomed — and so have human-bear conflicts. There are somewhere between 1000-1200 black bears in our state alone.
Bears are not just on trails anymore. In the past year, there have been 35 incidents of bears entering homes in our state. DEEP wildlife biologist Jason Hawley says that if a bear comes into your yard, don't use it as an opportunity to take cute pictures for social media.
“What’s best for the bear is to put down the camera and, from a safe distance, try to scare that bear away,’ he told host Catherine Shen. “We don't want it being comfortable in your yard. We really push the message that everyone needs to do their part.”
Western Connecticut has some of the highest black bear density in North America. Hawley said human actions have made the state's bear population too comfortable in our neighborhoods. Although they might look friend-shaped, we wouldn’t recommend getting friendly. In fact, intentionally feeding the bears is now against the law.
Connecticut's black bears are on a mission this fall to consume up to 20,000 calories a day to fatten up before winter, according to Hawley. Unfortunately, many have been habituated to equate humans with easy access to high-calorie foods.
“As much as I'd like to say development’s the problem, it’s more just the population is growing and the bears are becoming more habituated, and they’ve learned they can find food around humans,” Hawley said.. Advice from DEEP includes never putting out bird seed or food, even in winter, and getting bear-resistant garbage bins. More information and tips can be found at bearwise.org.
In this hour, we hear from bear experts across the state, including Hawley, and learn what to do if you encounter one.
We also learn more about Fat Bear Week. Have you heard about it? The week-long national tournament by the National Parks Service celebrates bear hibernation and conservation while also serving as a campaign to make the public bear aware.
GUESTS:
- Jason Hawley: Wildlife Biologist for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
- Felicia Ortner: Volunteer Docent at the Connecticut Beardsley Zoo
- Rachel Maiser: Natural Resource Lead for the Northeast Regional Office of the National Park Service
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