Bearing witness to one impressive sighting
By WHITNEY JOSEPH
July, 02, 2009
MILLERTON — When town Councilman Dave McGhee looked out his living room window May 28, at around 7:30 p.m., he was shocked to see something he had been waiting his whole life to see: a bear in his backyard. It was only a few feet away, moving toward the back of his house where the bird feeders were.
“It just looked up at me,” McGhee said. “I bet you he was close to 5 feet tall. All he did was squash one of my small bird feeders, like it was so easy. He just took his paw and it came right down and smashed it to the bottom. All the bird seed came out and he ate it.”
The action took place only a couple of feet away from McGhee, who was protected from the bear by his home’s walls and windows. He said when he called his wife to come look at the bear; she didn’t believe him at first. When she saw the bear, McGhee said she was stunned.
“You wanted to reach out and touch him,” he said. “His fur was so black and silky, like you wanted to pet him. It fulfilled one of my dreams, wanting to see one of them close up.”
This bear had no tags and had some brown coloring, according to McGhee, who said that means the bear was younger. He also thinks it was a male. He said there are others in these parts, too.
“I heard there’s another male around here and that there’s a female with three cubs that hangs around Sharon Road,” he said, warning people to take special care to watch their animals, especially if they have dogs or cats who spend time outdoors. “You really want to be careful around a mother and her cubs. I would definitely steer clear of them. And don’t touch any wildlife, whether it’s a fawn, or cub, or even little birds that fall out of trees, as cuddly as they look, don’t touch.”
McGhee also warned about filling up bird feeders this time of year, as they attract bears, and also advised that garbage cans need to be pulled in at night and kept secure. The state’s Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) Web site stresses the same points.
“First and foremost, bears are readily attracted to back yards because of the presence of bird feeders. The problem often escalates to other food sources such as garbage cans, barbecue grills and compost piles as bears become bolder and more acclimated to people. Such activities are not in the best interest of either the bears or the homeowners. Bears that learn to approach one house will approach other houses and invariably result in concern from non-suspecting people,” the site states.
While people should take extra care to ensure bears and other wild animals don’t get too close, McGhee said it seems the trend is just that — bears are encroaching more and more into populated areas.
“All the years I’ve been here and this is the first year I can say I’ve actually seen a bear up close, and that’s in 50 years,” he said. “I think they’re more prevalent this year. I think the whole of Dutchess County is really getting a lot more bear sightings. There’s a big increase just in our town alone.
“I would imagine what’s happening is their habitats have been really invaded with people building and moving in and clearing areas that their food sources have changed and now they’re moving into areas where they can find garbage, food and pet food outside,” he added. “They have a big range too, they can travel a few miles a day looking for food.”
“As is the case with almost all bear-human conflicts, if you take away the food you will take away the bear. Black bears, like all wildlife, are best appreciated at a distance,” states the DEC Web site, reinforcing the importance of keeping one’s property free of food and garbage that could attract bears.
As to whether he’s still on the lookout for another bear sighting, McGhee said no.
“They’re around,” he said. “And I don’t know if anybody has seen one lately. I’m not looking for them now, I’ve already seen one.”
© Copyright 2009 by TCExtra.com
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