A spokesman for the Massachusetts Environmental Police said Monday there was also a sighting in Wareham. The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University, EDITORIAL: The onus of recycling should not fall on the consumer, but rather governments, corporations, Minority Report: Rise in anti-Asian hate crimes reveals a deeper prejudice, Spotlight on Society: The ableism pandemic, Gaming the System: Animal Crossing is still the perfect pandemic game for all the wrong reasons. If you safely can, send us your photos and videos of bear sightings, to Reportit@wwlp.com. Rachel Lovejoy, a student research assistant at Amherst College who works on the MassBears and Mammals of the Pioneer Valley projects, said with fewer people and cars on the roads, more bears could venture out into the open. By collaring sows, biologists learn about their survival and reproductive rates. And recently, bear sightings have been on the rise, even in the urban areas around Boston. Tracking collars, which record a location every 45 minutes, provide biologists with important information about black bear habitat use and movements, and how bears are moving into and raising their young in increasingly human-dominated landscapes. I had a strange feeling as if someone or something was watching me. Latest Bear Sightings Black bears have been reported in the following areas over the past 24 hours: 1. Bears need food for hibernation, and with the winter months coming up, the bears are out looking for something to eat, Wattles said. news viewer in Ware caught a bear family on camera - a mother and two cubs making a back yard stop. A MassWildlife biologist will connect with you for more details. Church Street 2. “You may have a situation this year where because people are home, they’re outside a lot,” Wattles said. In Marlborough, one of the only recent bear sightings reported to the police department came from the Cedar Hill area sometime last year, said animal control officer Peter Nikitas. MassWildlife and the Massachusetts Environmental Police immobilized and relocated a yearling black bear between one and two years old from I-290 in Worcester on Sunday, May 17. A black bear is being blamed for the killing of a miniature horse in Western Massachusetts. “We were in the wrong place at the wrong time.” MassWildlife’s Black Bear and Furbearer Project Leader Dave Wattles said with the pandemic shutting down dense metropolises since March, people who have been venturing outdoors more often also have more opportunities for chance bear encounters. Moose Map Shows Sightings, Deaths In Massachusetts: See Your Town - Worcester, MA - Hundreds of moose have been seen — or killed — in Massachusetts over the last several years. Photo provided by: Gloria Hazen “It basically is an easy meal that a bear can take advantage of every single time.”. A June 2009 encounter in the Cedarville section of Plymouth was perhaps the southeasternmost bear sighting in Massachusetts in recent years, meaning bears … People living on Ashley Street in … They’re never going to change,” Wattles said. The bear population in Massachusetts has increased over the past 50 years, with the majority in western and central Massachusetts, but bears are also moving into the suburbs of Boston. Black Bears in Massachusetts Black bears are becoming increasingly common in Massachusetts and are moving further to the east. Would you like to provide additional feedback to help improve Mass.gov? MassWildlife's black bear research project involves capturing, immobilizing, and fitting tracking collars on sows (female bears). After recent sightings of a black bear were confirmed in Wareham, Lakeville and Rochester, state wildlife officials now believe it’s the same bear… (WWLP) – The bears are back! This page, Report sightings of young bears, is, in the scale of 1, Strongly Disagree, to 5, Strongly Agree, Professional Training & Career Development, Learn more about black bears in Massachusetts. I looked over to my window where I saw two bright red glowing eyes. One day in mid-May, James Clements heard about a bear roaming around his Arlington neighborhood. A MassWildlife biologist will connect with you for more details. If you see a bear with cubs in eastern Massachusetts, report it! • Washington, Massachusetts - in 1983, according to the newspaper the Berkshire Eagle, two men having a campfire near Lake Felton, heard strange noises and noticed the silhouette of a creature of a six or seven foot creature. We are studying black bears in Massachusetts to estimate population size and distribution, and provide other information about bear movement and conflict with humans. (The Republican / … Clements fills a bid feeder that hangs from a … According to Wattles, state officials have begun getting consistent reports of sightings in the region between I-495 and I-190, as bears continue to push eastward. This form only gathers feedback about the website. Massachusetts residents have spotted more black bears than usual recently as more people spend time indoors during the pandemic. Installing an electric fence around yards can also prevent bears from habitually returning to a house for food, Wattles said. If you see a black bear with cubs in eastern Massachusetts, email Mass.Wildlife@mass.gov with the sighting date and a detailed description of the bear's location, with your name and contact information. With the increasing number of bears found in many areas of Massachusetts, it is important for residents to brush up on their bear knowledge. From Provincetown on Cape Cod, to towns in Central Massachusetts, this is the time of year when many bears are looking for their honey. Carly Hall came face-to-face with a black bear on Tracey Circle in Amherst Saturday night. A black bear was spotted in Medford near the Middlesex Fells in the early morning hours of Dec. 14, surprising residents, police and the city’s Animal Control Department. Hankey Street 3. Two black bear sightings were reported in Groton on March 23. “We’re strongly encouraging people to use electric fencing,” Wattles said, “so that bears don’t kill their chickens or damage their hives, but also to protect the bears from themselves so that they don’t develop bad behaviors.”. “Particularly when COVID was first ramping up, there may have been a lot of encounters that people had with bears when they normally would be at work or school.”. The number of black bear sightings in the eastern part of Massachusetts is on the rise. As fascinating as black bears are, on occasion they can cause problems for people. Massachusetts Environmental Police have been notified about the recent string of bear sightings. 22News viewers continue to send photos of bear sightings in their area. Biologists know that bear densities are increasing in central Massachusetts and the bear range has expanded to the east of I-495. WESTFORD, MA — There are more than 4,000 black bears in Massachusetts and in recent weeks some have been seen Westford and other parts of Middlesex County. Learn more about black bears in Massachusetts. We will use this information to improve the site. “It was really scary,” she said. “But, it is surprising given that we’re getting a little closer into hibernation season where you would expect them to not see as many.”. WMAs ARE OPEN. AMHERST (CBS) — A 17-year-old had a frightening encounter with a bear in Western Massachusetts over the weekend. The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, or MassWildlife, says the population has jumped from 100 in the 1970s to 4,000 in current times as bears find their way well east of Interstate 495. The DEM's Division of Law Enforcement logs all bear sightings people call in and confirms many of them through site visits. “There might be more bears willing to come out of the woods more often,” Lovejoy said. Bears are apparently no bother to neighbors in a West Springfield neighborhood where Bear sightings commonplace this time of year. Your feedback will not receive a response. “Usually wild animals don’t want to come into contact with us any more than we want to come in contact with them,” Halpin said. While a western Mass. In order to place tracking collars on bears for research, MassWildlife needs to know where bears with young have been recently observed. Because bears are motivated by food, Wattles said people who live near bears should remove food sources from their yards. The black bear population has increased in Massachusetts, from about 100 in the early 1970s to 3,000 in 2005, according to MassWildlife. Support independent student journalism by donating to our Spring 2021 fundraiser here! This “newly established range,” he says, is “They’re just looking for food, so if we eliminate that food source, they’ll be on their way.”. (Updated 2/17/2021 from the 02/16/2021 NPS APPA Compendium of Orders). COVID-19 Related Temporary Closure of All Shelters and Privies on APPA Lands Effective March 30, 2020, the National Park Service is closing all overnight shelters (55 total) and privies (75 total) on land administered by the Appalachian National Scenic Trail Park Office in the states of VA (10 … Authorities suspect the same bear in both sightings. FISHING IS OPEN AND SPRING TROUT STOCKING WILL CONTINUE. How much do you agree with the following statements in the scale of 1, Strongly Disagree, to 5, Strongly Agree? In order to find bears for this project, biologists need to know where sows with cubs have been observed this spring. People might be hibernating during the pandemic, but local bears haven’t been staying at home. The bear sighting might not have even been the first in Medford in the last several months. Pleasant … Cathy and Ed Adams of Hinsdale found their horse dead on … For an ongoing research project involving tracking black bears in central and eastern Massachusetts, MassWildlife is asking residents from communities in eastern Massachusetts to report current sightings of black bears with cubs. ... Bird sightings… Just ask residents in Concord where multiple bear sightings have been reported this week. Diamonds and Rust: Freedom, or free-doom. "June is the peak of the mating season for black bears. MassBears is a research project in collaboration with MassWildlife, the Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Amherst College, and University of Massachusetts, Amherst. With the Massachusetts black bear population nearing 5,000 and at full capacity, bears are being forced to expand into eastern suburbia and occasionally even into cities. Most … MASSWILDLIFE OFFICES AND HATCHERIES ARE CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. Bears have been there all along, but since people are spending more time at home during the pandemic, there's been a rise in sightings. The bear population in Massachusetts has increased over the past 50 years, with the majority in western and central Massachusetts, but bears are also moving into the suburbs of Boston. Currently, MassWildlife biologists are in the field monitoring, capturing and tagging black bears but more collared bears are needed for this project. Welcome! Do not include sensitive information, such as Social Security or bank account numbers. With bear sightings in the City of Springfield in recent years, it's hardly shocking to learn that moose sightings are becoming more common in the city's eastern suburbs. While two black bear sightings were confirmed with photographic evidence in the last few days in Millis and Ashland, it is likely the animals - or animal, if it is the same bear - … Massachusetts residents have spotted more black bears than usual recently as more people spend time indoors during the pandemic. To gain a better understanding of bear movements and population demographics in eastern Massachusetts, MassWildlife only needs information on sows with young bears from locations in eastern Worcester County, Middlesex County, or anywhere around the I-495 corridor. Rob Halpin, director of communications and public relations at the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals – Angell Animal Medical Center, said anyone who encounters a bear should wave their arms and make noise while staying calm. The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) have removed two bears from the Worcester area in two consecutive days this week. These are the most recent ghost sightings in Massachusetts Monson, Massachusetts - I was lying in my bed in my room. If you see a black bear with cubs in eastern Massachusetts, email Mass.Wildlife@mass.gov with the sighting date and a detailed description of the bear's location, with your name and contact information. Sturbridge residents have shared at least two sightings on social media; one bear was spotted near a Dunkin’ Donuts and another was seen in a residential area. From 2015 to 2018, the number of sightings averaged 71 per year. “So, we as a society need to learn how to behave and how to live with their surroundings.”. “Bird feeders are a terrible thing to have in bear country,” Wattles said. If you would like to continue helping us improve Mass.gov, join our user panel to test new features for the site. This is a good opportunity for interested citizens to contribute to wildlife conservation science! SOUTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY- Residents have reported an unusual number of bear sightings at residential and public locations in recent weeks. I was on the third floor of my house. “They’re driven by food. There have been several sightings of a creature in this region since the earliest people inhabited the region. Top-requested sites to log in to services provided by the state. Mass.gov® is a registered service mark of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.