Hungry Black Bears of the North

Black bears roam the North Country

Story by Tiffany Richards

The hungry mother prances around the sleeping town in search of food. As the night grows old, she frantically goes through one garbage can to the next in hopes of a decent meal. Finally, she reaches a can with an aroma of stale pizza and buffalo wings. The mother bear's heart is content as she devours the food. Suddenly, a porch light from the house switches on. An old man runs outside shouting, "who goes there?" The frightened mother bear runs away worried about what she'll feed herself and her cubs that night.

According to Ken Kogut, wildlife manager at the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), black bears have rummaged through residential garbage and business areas in the village of Lake Placid this year. There were two or three different bears seen this summer. There were also a number of bears seen in different locations throughout the town.

"A fed bear is a dead bear."

The reason for these bear sightings is a lack of food in their natural habitat, says Kogut. There was a drought this year and food became scarce. The bears in need of food went looking for some in the town area. Black bears will look for whatever garbage is thrown out, he says. They are very generalist. Bears will eat dead animals, berries, green leaves, and vegetation.

"A fed bear is a dead bear," says Kogut. He adds that the NYSDEC doesn’t like it when people leave their garbage out. It attracts the black bears to the homes, and they become accustom to human food. Kogut says the NYSDEC worries that when bears break into people’s homes, someone could get hurt. 

Yet, bears rarely break into people's houses, says Milt Adams, Adirondack Park Visitor Interpretive Center environmentalist educator. "I guess it would probably be more dangerous for the bear," he adds. When black bears become habituated to human food, they become aggressive and bold. A human may shoot them when they become this way, he says. Though not many humans have been attacked by black bears.

Bear sightings depend on what area you live in. Areas like Potsdam and Plattsburgh will just get raccoons, but in the outskirts, like around Saranac, is where bears are more likely to appear, says Adams. They usually appear when garbage in that area starts to decay and ferment. Bears have a strong sense of smell, so they are attracted to the garbage, he says. They will also investigate any scent they find. "They will investigate other smells that they haven't originally come in that area for," says Adams. It can become quite a problem in a neighborhood because the bears go around finding more and more smells, he adds.

People who have never seen a bear before will have a traumatic experience to it, says Adams. But, people who are used to seeing bears in the woods will have a great experience. "It's a great opportunity. You just don't see them that often," he says. Bears are more afraid of humans than humans are of them, he adds.

"Really we had a lot of bear complaints."

According to a NYSDEC document on black bears, they are large creatures with erect rounded ears, a long narrow, brown muzzle, and a short tail. Adult males weigh an average of about 300 pounds. The females weigh about 170 pounds. The color of black bears varies across North America, but most bears in New York are jet black. These bears generally live in the Adirondack, Catskill and Allegany mountains. There are 6,000 to 7,000 bears in New York spread out over every upstate county in the state.

These bear sightings occur every year, says Kogut. Every year is different; sometimes they appear as early as May. A lot of bear complaints have come from Saranac, North Creek, and Chestertown. "Really we had a lot of bear complaints," says Kogut.

Yet, bears are normally afraid of people. They will run when they see people since people do hunt bears. They rarely come into town looking for food, says Adams. Only three bears have come to town in the last five years. When people actually do see bears, they tend to run. "I take pictures," Adams adds.

Have you seen black bears in your area?