Wildlife | Black bears are popping out of hibernation.

Mass Wildlife experiences that black bears are popping out of hibernation.

Officers have warned residents in Worcester County, Middlesex County, and western Mass. that bears will go away their dens in quest of meals. A minimum of 4,500 black bears will likely be heading east by the top of the month.

The identical warning was issued to New Hampshire residents by the New Hampshire Fish and Recreation Wildlife Division. Arduous mast crops, corresponding to acorns and walnuts, have been down this 12 months in each New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Subsequently, bears will likely be on the lookout for completely different sources of meals, probably in your yard.

MassWildlife lists some essential items of recommendation to maintain you and your loved ones secure.

1. Take down the chicken feeder. Bears are interested in them as a simple supply of meals, however it could actually additionally entice different wildlife that prey on them.
2. Save all meals sources. This consists of litter packing containers, pet meals dishes, beehives, livestock, and hen coops. Officers advocate putting in electrical fences round livestock or bees to maintain them secure. And round April, rubbish ought to be put out the morning of pick-up and never the evening earlier than.
3. Defend your pets. Verify for bears earlier than letting your canine or different pets into the yard, and preserve pets on a leash when you’re undecided. By no means enable pets to work together with or chase bears.

In keeping with the NHFG, 25% of human-bear interactions are attributable to the presence of chicken feeders. The second most noticeable are unsafe poultry (23%) and unsafe waste (38%). Each Massachusetts and New Hampshire wildlife officers ask residents to take these precautions to make sure their security.

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