MA Drought May Bring Black Bears Closer To Humans: Officials

WORCESTER, MA — The ongoing severe drought in Massachusetts — which has reached extreme levels in parts of the state — may increase your chances of meeting the largest omnivore around.

The drought has many consequences for the environment, including decreasing the natural food supply for black bears. According to state wildlife officials, two main bear food sources — berries and acorns — can be diminished by drought, driving them into human areas in search of food.

"In dry summers, nuisance bear complaints tend to be higher because bears are more frequently using residential areas, taking advantage of bird feeders and trash," MassWildlife said in a recent article about how the drought is stressing fauna across the state.

Although unclear if related to drought, black bears have been spotted across several communities north of Boston in recent weeks. Danvers police on Aug. 7 asked residents to remove bird feeders and store trash indoors due to a bear sighting.

In recent weeks, bears have also been seen in Wilmington, Woburn, Boxford and Middleton, according to news reports.

Bear range in Massachusetts

If you see a black bear east of Worcester, chances are it's a male.

The established black bear range — defined as the area where female bears are producing cubs —in Massachusetts largely ends at I-190 near the border of Worcester and Middlesex counties, according to MassWildlife (although the established range does go as far east as Dracut along the New Hampshire border).

Man made barriers like I-190, I-290, Route 2 and I-495 prevent those female bears from setting up a den in, say, Framingham or Danvers, according to MassWildlife Black Bear and Furbearer Biologist Dave Wattles.

RELATED: 'Extreme Drought' Conditions Take Hold In Eastern Massachusetts

The bears that slip past those barriers are typically wandering males seeking new territory.

"The sightings and reports of bears further east than our expanding range are almost always young males moving through a region," Wattles said this week. "The established range is slow to expand, because young females typically do not disperse great distances from their mother’s range. Often they will establish a home range that overlaps with their mother."

The established black bear range in Massachusetts hasn't changed much at all in recent years, Wattles said, even if bears are slipping into urban areas during a bad drought.

Bear encounters

If the drought does drive a food-seeking bear into your neighborhood, there are some easy things you can do to keep them from getting into your yard, specifically. Here are some tips from MassWildlife:

• Remove all potential food for bears, including bird feeders, unsecured garbage and compost piles.
• Clean greasy barbecues after each use.
• Feed pets indoors. The presence of a barking dog can trigger a bear to become aggressive; always keep dogs leashed, check your yard for bears before letting your dog out and never let dogs chase or interact with bears.
• Special note for backyard chicken owners and beekeepers: black bears killing chickens and damaging coops is becoming the number one human-bear conflict in Massachusetts. Installing and maintaining electric fencing is the only way to keep bears out of coops and away from hives.
• Here are some tips for dealing with a bear if one does come into your yard.