Local Bears Awake After Long Winter

Author: Megan O'Keefe

A sudden thaw has drawn bears out of hibernation and into Vermonters' backyards. Between 4,000 and 5,000 black bears live in Vermont, and experts say they are now all awake. According to Forrest Hammond, a district wildlife biologist based in Springfield, the bears are currently very active, seeking food after the long winter. During the period of hibernation about 40 percent of their total body weight is lost, an average of about 0.2-0.3 percent per day, and with food sources still scarce it may be difficult for hungry bears to find adequate nutrition in wilderness areas.
Black bears normally eat animal prey, including fish and small animals, but may also consume a variety of vegetable matter, such as pine cones, berries and rotten food. With appetites stunted immediately after hibernation by hormone levels, bears nibble on early spring's fresh green herbs and young wetland shoots for the first few weeks. Once appetites return, they move on to more substantial winter-killed carrion. Hungry bears will raid homes and campsites in order to seize anything edible.
While black bears may seem unusually prevelant this season, their population has actually been significantly reduced as commercial and residential development has taken over their forest habitat.The majority of Vermont's black bears can be found in the Northeast Kingdom, but they are also found in forested areas the length of the Green Mountain state. "The bears are traveling quite a bit right now. As the snow disappears, it exposes the nut crop, and that's what they'll be after," said Hammond.
While bears generally have no desire to seek human prey, they are sometimes drawn into residential areas in search of food scraps that may be easily accessible in outdoor garbage cans. Residents who live near wooded areas are advised to store garbage inside or in tightly locked bins until pickup day and to close kitchen windows at night.
Additionally, Vermont parents have been told to exercise greater caution when allowing their children to play outdoors in wooded areas. When a bear does enter a backyard, however, the resident should remain calm and make loud noise until the bear is driven away. Hammond noted that black bears are a shy species that fears people and rarely attacks. When black bears do enter populated areas, however, there is a danger that they may cause car accidents, he continued.
Despite the recent bear sightings, Vermont's black bears are no crankier or hungrier than usual. This winter's heavy snow covering provided ample insulation and an ideal sleeping environment for hibernation. Hammond affirmed that the black bears should be no "grouchier" than usual this spring. "It was not a bad winter for the bears," Hammond said. "In fact, it was a good one."