MORRISTOWN, Vt. (AP) — The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department on Monday asked resident of the Morrisville area to remove any food sources that might attract bears after a female bear with three cubs has repeatedly gotten into garbage containers and bird feeders in the village.
Residents are asked to remove bird feeders and secure garbage containers and not put them out until the morning that the garbage will be picked up. Vermont State Game Warden Jeremy Schmid also advises residents to lock doors and shut downstairs windows at night to avoid giving bears an easy way to get into the home. Motion-activated lights and alarms can also be used to keep bears away from homes, he said.
“We have had success in other communities in getting a bear to change its behavior, but it takes everyone pulling together to remove the attractants for it to work,” said bear project leader Forrest Hammond in a written statement. “If the bear continues to receive human foods, her behavior will only get worse – perhaps to the point she is a threat to human safety.”
It’s illegal to feed bears in Vermont and the department is asking the public to report all bear conflicts to its website.