Some Chapel Hill residents have had a bear-y good weekend.
According to the Chapel Hill Police Department, and video shared by one resident, there have been multiple sightings of a black bear off of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard near Homestead Park overnight Friday and Saturday. Chapel Hill Police officers reported sightings at the intersection of MLK Boulevard and Blossom Lane and another sighting along Dixie Lane, which is across the street from Homestead Park’s athletic fields.
Additionally, one Chapel Hill resident shared a video he says came from his front door camera at the Riggsbee Mobile Home Park — just north of the areas where police officers reported seeing a black bear.
Black bears are native to the state, but are not typically found in the Piedmont, according to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. The bears, which can be identified by their darker coats and tall, rounded ears, are known to use their strong sense of smell and hearing to search for food — which can often come from people’s backyards or driveways.
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission recommends that people secure any food, garbage, or recycling outside to prevent bears from smelling and being attracted to it. The group suggests not leaving any pet food outdoors, storing grills away, and removing bird feeders if there are bears active.
The state agency also says if a bear is spotted, do no approach or feed a bear. Staying calm and backing away slowly is recommended if you are close to the animal, while making lots of noise to frighten the animal is a tactic to scare it off if you’re far away.
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission says it does not trap or relocate black bears. Not only does the agency say capturing the omnivores is difficult, but bears often return to places they’ve been before and humans’ habits are easier to change than a bear’s.
More information on how to prevent or resolve bear issues in residential areas, visit the state’s Wildlife Resources Commission’s website. For the Town of Chapel Hill’s release on black bear sightings, visit the local government’s website.
Photo via Aaron Brewer.
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