Un-Bearable Neighbor

“A bear? Really?”

Joe Olivier, Resident of Mattapoisett, Massachusetts

Bears scare me. When I was 10 years old, my family camped overnight in Yellowstone Park. The day before we arrived, a mama bear separated from her cub had rampaged through the campground. When I nervously suggested to my dad that maybe we should get a motel instead of pitching a tent, he pooh-poohed my fears by saying that if a bear wants you, no door’s gonna stop ‘em. I “slept” eyes wide open that night.

Residents of Mattapoisett, Massachusetts (population 6,268) know my fear. A black bear has been spotted roaming their neighborhoods. This isn’t business as usual for these folks—bears are rare in their neck of the woods. And although an Internet search will tell you black bears eat mostly nuts and berries and roots, at least one woman saw the bear clutching a small brown and white animal in its mouth. Neighbors have been warned to keep pets inside and to take down bird feeders and put away their garbage. I’d add one more warning: don’t pitch a tent in the backyard and keep an eye on the front door.

Facts about black bears:
·        Black bears usually weigh 125 to 500 pounds, but well-fed males can tip the scales at over 800 pounds.
·        Preferred foods are nuts and berries and roots . . . and little brown and white animals, apparently.
·        Hearing is about twice as good as a humans, and smelling capacity is about 100 times larger.
·        Good swimmers, black bears have been known to swim to island campsites.
·        Lean bears can run about 30 mph. If pursued, pray for a fat bear; they tire easily.
·        Black bears are far better navigators than humans and have excellent long-term memory.
·        About 70 percent of bear-caused deaths result from grizzly bears defending their cubs; the good news is there are no reports of black bears killing in defense of their young.

Read the Article ® Town residents bear witness
Photo by Mike Bender/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service