Expert advises removing birdfeeders as bear population increases

HUBBARDSTON - It's an adorable visual: a mama bear and three cubs walking through a Hubbardston backyard, climbing a tree, and getting dinner out of the birdfeeder.

"I love it," said Joanna Marra, whose backyard camera captured the whole encounter. "I love wildlife. I love living out here."

Mass. Wildlife Black Bear and Furbearer Project Manager Dave Wattles says bear sightings could be on the rise. "Our bear population is growing and growing rather rapidly in Worcester County, so we do have an increasing number of bears, so there is greater interactions with the public as well," he explained.

However, while many people love having bears in their backyard, Wattles says it's actually unsafe for the bears. In particular, while one neighbor might love seeing the bears, a neighbor next door might have its farm animals threatened by the bears, feel threatened, and shoot the bear - which is legal if a bear is caught destroying property.

"Backyard chicken farming with the pandemic has become extraordinarily popular and they're everywhere," Wattles said. "And bears break into them like nothing, so lots of bears are being killed because people want to protect their chickens."

His advice? Ditch the birdfeeder. "Birdfeeders are the bane of my existence, because they do train bears to come to the backyard, so removing the birdfeeders," he explained, allowing bears to search the wild for natural food sources. He recommends also securing garbage in the garage or sheds so the bears can't access it.