Mars Residents Asked To Put Away Bird Feeders, Garbage Cans After Recent Bear Problem
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MARS (KDKA) -- The mayor of Mars is waiting for the state Fish and Game Commission to decide to use traps to help get rid of a bear problem.
For the past three weeks, at least one black bear has been spotted raiding garbage cans and backyard bird feeders.
"Oh, I've definitely seen the bear. He started coming around May 6. He was up in my mom's backyard. We got some videos and pictures of him. He was pretty friendly, he was more leery of us than we were of him," resident John Watson said.
They normally avoid contact with humans, but females are very protective of their cubs.
"The biggest thing they say is if there's a momma bear with a little bear, just don't get in between the two or you're in a lot of trouble," Watson said.
Mayor Gregg Hartung is asking neighbors to keep garbage cans in their garage.
"The Game Commission tells us the best thing to do is put bird feeders away until the bear issue resolves itself, and also make sure garbage is put away because they love to get into garbage," Hartung said.
He thinks the problem is a result of residential development causing the bears to lose their habitat.