SPRINGWATER – Residents of a Springwater neighborhood were met with an unlikely house guest this past weekend.
On June 20, Pati Clark uploaded a photo to Facebook of a black bear staring right into the camera whilst exploring the back porch of her home.
“He tipped the birdseed can over,” Pati wrote. “Kept butting it with his head to get more seed out.”
According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York’s black bear population is estimated at a minimum of 6,000-8,000, with only roughly 10-15% of the bears inhabiting the central-western region of the state.
Jim Clark explained that the two of them were away on vacation during the incident. Luckily enough, their neighbors were there to capture the bear in the act of mischief.
The DEC explains that black bears eat just about everything. They are omnivorous, so they eat anything from fruit, to insects, to pet food, when accessible.
It is important to take part in the preservation of the bear population by refraining from feeding them or growing attachments when they are on your property. The DEC states that deliberate and intentional feeding of bears is illegal in New York State.
Safe to say, the bear will not be on the invite list for any more neighborhood BBQ’s.