Bears Roam Through Cumming Neighborhood

Three black bears Tuesday roamed through a Cumming neighborhood.

The adult and two juveniles climbed fences through the Polo Fields subdivision, adding to bear sightings reported in the Delamar and Oakmont subdivisions and other areas of Forsyth, reports the Forsyth Herald on northfulton.com.

State wildlife officials, who want to keep the bears moving until they find an appropriate habitat, have no plans to trap or remove the animals, Georgia Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman Melissa Cummings told 11Alive.

It's not the first time black bears have been seen in Cumming and Forsyth.

A YouTube video posted in 2010, above, shows a black bear foraging for food in a yard near Matt Elementary School. The bear's find—a bird feeder—proved a challenge.

Cumming Patch blogger Lynn Dotson wrote yesterday that she saw a bear walk through her neighborhood this summer.

"Seeing the pictures has been fun right up until they were just down the street from me," she wrote in a Patch blog. "Of all the things I thought I'd have to remind my kids of when sending them off to school, 'Don't forget to watch for bears,' was not one of them."

Black bears—omnivorous animals whose diet consists of whatever is readily available at the time—can be found in the north Georgia mountains and along the Ocmulgee River drainage system, according to the DNR. Their numbers have increased to a "healthy" population of more than 5,000 in Georgia.

When homes are within their range, bears are naturally attracted to the smells associated with cooking and garbage disposal. 

"Most problems can be resolved through simple actions such as taking down bird feeders, taking in pet food, or storing garbage in an area unavailable to bears like a garage," according to the DNR. "Removing or making attractants unavailable to bears is a critical step in resolving bear/human conflicts. 

"It is equally important for people to be patient. It may take several days for the bear to learn that it is no longer going to be provided with a free meal. In most cases, the bear will simply move on when the food source is no longer present."

In her blog, Dotson offers these tips to deter black bears looking for an easy meal:

1. Empty your bird feeders. Bears love bird food. 
2. Take any and all pet food inside. Bears love dog food.
3. Maybe hold off on grilling out if you've had sightings nearby. Bears love a good barbecue. 
4. Don't have your trashcan out any longer than necessary and try to rinse out your recyclables so that they don't smell like food. Bears love recyclables. (okay, maybe not, but I had a theme going)
Just be smart about it, and enjoy the pictures friends are posting.  

Other non-natural attractants include suet, compost piles, gardens, beehives and cornfields, according to the DNR.


Have you seen or heard about black bears in or near your home? Should they be allowed to roam or trapped? Tell us in the comments.

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