There have been numerous bear sightings in Lincoln County over the past few weeks, including seven sightings in Boothbay and at least two in Newcastle.
In all but one case, the bears were attracted by bird feeders, and in one case the bear was attracted to trash bags outside a residence. On Tuesday, a bear tore apart a bird feeder on Pleasant Street in Newcastle, just behind the fire station.
“The problem with bears is we’ve humanized them. Up north bear are afraid of human scent. Here the scent doesn’t bother them. They have no fear of humans. Bears are smart. The smell of humans, means food,” said State Animal Damage Control Agent Mike Witte.
Witte said the number one thing people can do to keep bears away from their residence is to “not feed the birds. Birds do not need to be fed in the summer time.”
The second thing is to keep domestic dogs contained. A dog will tree a bear, or worse, tree him up an electric pole, Witte said. If a bear is treed, please contact the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, 882-7332.
“We don’t want people to be alarmed. There is a high level ofparanoia,” Witte said. “We have always had bears. People are moving here from urban areas, so it is just a matter of educating them about wild animals, including bear, fox and raccoons.”
The resident on Pleasant Street put fruit out including peaches and oranges for birds and animals and had a large pile of birdseed on the ground. Naturally the bear was attracted to the free lunch.
According to press release from the Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, IF&W strongly encourages homeowners to not feed the birds and to take other food odor prevention steps around their properties as ways to deter bears.
“Bears have recently emerged from their dens throughout Maine and are in search of food that is not readily available to them at this time of year. They are drawn to bird feeders, garbage cans, dumpsters and grills, where food or odor of food is prevalent, or to areas where people believe it is OK to leave food for them.”
“Each spring, we encourage people to bring in their bird feeders and rake up any seed left on the ground. If people want to continue to feed birds, we ask them to wait until berries have ripened later in the summer when bears are less likely to wander through back yards searching for food. The best way to keep bears in the wild is to not make it easy for them to make themselves at home in your backyard.”
“It is also important to remember that other food odors attract bears to your back yard. Garbage that is brought to the curb the night before pickup or is stored outside is a great temptation to a bear. We encourage everyone to keep their garbage inside until the morning of trash pickup.” an IF&W press release stated
If confronted by a bear, Witte advises people to slowly walk away and make a lot of noise. Do not approach a bear.
“Don’t take pictures,” Witte said, sighting a case last summer where someone got raked in the face getting too close to a bear while taking a picture.
