Oh My! Bear Practically Knocks on Door of Rensselaer Co. Home
Imagine the motion sensor on your Ring doorbell goes off. No big deal, you'll check it when you have a spare moment. It's probably a package from Amazon or maybe somebody from the town water department coming to check the meter.
Except, it's 11 o'clock at night. A ring alert that late generally doesn't indicate something good. But this is something pretty unexpected. Donna from East Greenbush caught a black bear wandering up on her front porch Monday night. The bear gets so close to the front door he practically rings the bell.
The weather is getting warmer and bears are coming out of hibernation. It's not unusual for bears to sometimes wander into suburban areas, mainly searching for food. They especially go for bird feeders, trash cans and pet food - if you leave it outside.
According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, bears are quite intelligent and will return to their food sources. And although they generally fear humans, they do get braver the more in their approach as time passes.
To avoid bear encounters, the DEC recommends taking the following steps:
- Remove bird feeders
- Take trash out to the curb just before pickup
- If you leave garbage cans out the previous night, ammonia soaked rags can help deter them
- Don't feed your pets outside
- Refrigerators and freezers on your porch or deck is a bad idea, bears can smell what's in there
- If your property is privy to bear encounters, consider an electric fence. They've been known to keep bears away