Why have there been so many recent bear sightings in the Twin Cities?
MINNEAPOLIS -- This spring and summer WCCO has been showing you a lot of startling close-up video of bears.
They have been right in the metro area, showing up near a Target in Rogers and in and around suburbs like Maple Grove.
The videos WCCO viewers have been sending in are startling. Week after week there is new evidence that more bears are coming closer to the metro.
The Department of Natural Resources has a map of bear sightings. The DNR is tracking bears in the western and southern parts of the state, and not the northeastern part of Minnesota. The department said that is because the northeastern area is bear territory and for decades has been considered the bears' natural habitat. The south and western areas of Minnesota, however, are not traditional bear country.
The DNR says the number of bears isn't growing, it's just they are showing up further west and south.
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Andrew Tri is the bear project leader for the Minnesota DNR. He was a guest on WCCO Sunday Morning at 10:30 a.m.
He said 10 years ago spotting a bear outside Target in Rogers would've been "inconceivable," but bears have been moving south and west because of available habitat.
Plus, there's now a higher tolerance for bears. People don't mind the wildlife as much as before -- and aren't shooting them on sight.
Tri says humans can co-exist with bears, but there are some basic things to know to avoid confrontations. One is to monitor your garbage, and if you're camping, double-bag it.
"Fifty percent of the complaints have to do with trash that's unsecured and the remainder is almost always birdfeeders. That's usually the first question people ask is, 'How long has your bird feeder been up?' And so ideally you would not want to feed birds from Easter to Thanksgiving," he said.
Obviously, bird lovers are not going to like to hear that. The DNR also asks if you see a bear please report it to them -- they are constantly monitoring the changing areas where bears are living.
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If you are camping or in an area where there have been bear sightings, you should consider having bear spray. The DNR on its website says that bear spray is more effective than a gun because a wounded bear can still charge you, while one that has been sprayed will not.
If you see a bear, don't run -- that might trigger their chase instincts and bears are extremely fast. Instead you are supposed to move away slowly.
Another thing to remember: The DNR also says bears and dogs do not mix and dogs should always be leashed in areas where bears live. The DNR also stresses bear attacks are very rare and there have been no fatal attacks in Minnesota.
You can watch WCCO News Sunday Morning with Esme Murphy and Joseph Dames every Sunday at 6 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.