Black Bears Raising Alarm in This Upstate New York Town

Residents are raising alarm after several hungry black bears were spotted in a small New York town.

Black bear sightings have increased across New York, which is leading to more black bear encounters.

The latter is why more people are ending up on the wrong side of the law.

Read More: Campers Ticketed for Feeding Black Bear in Upstate New York

People knowingly engaging with black bears could cause them to develop bad behavior and become "problem bears" that lose their fear of humans.

This is causing officials to warn residents against making bears too comfortable around humans.

This is especially true for residents in the Town of Ulster, where several town board meetings have seen people venting their frustration over seeing an increasing number of roaming bears.

According to concerned citizens, bears are making huge messes in town by ripping down bird feeders, tearing apart garbage cans, destroying gardens, and more.

Recently, a bear estimated to be about 300 pounds was captured on a Blink camera and shared with the Daily Freeman.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is using this as a moment to send out their annual "BearWise" alert that explains how people can keep these troublesome creatures away from their property.

Bears recently woke up from hibernation and they are super hungry, meaning they will eat whatever they can get their paws on... even if it is on private property.

Staying "BearWise" This Spring

Acting Commissioner of the DEC, Amanda Lefton, noted bears are pretty single minded around this time of year and their focus is exclusively on eating.

They will spend the weeks after waking up from hibernation to pack on healthy weight after barely eating through the winter.

The DEC adds black bears have an incredible sense of smell that allow them to follow the scent of a potential meal for miles.

In fact, it's believed bears have the best sense of smell in the animal kingdom. It's estimated they can smell humans as far as 18 to 20 miles away, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

That is why bird feeders need to come down and trash needs to be tightly secured, the DEC says, because their smells make them bear magnets.

Another popular target in recent years are uncleaned grills or smokers. Apparently, bears will rip them apart to get to the grease left in a drip pan and any food residue off the grates.

Pet food is also a reliable resource for these creatures, and that is why the DEC is urging all residents to start bear-proofing their properties.

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"Repeated access to these food sources can make bears bolder, so DEC encourages New Yorkers to practice the BearWise basics to help keep bears wild and prevent the potential for human-bear conflicts," Lefton warned.

She also warned residents not to intentionally feed the bears, because a bear that's lost its healthy sense of fear of humans may become dangerous.

You can read more about this warning on the DEC's website.