Take down Birdfeeders if a Black Bear visits Your Neighborhood

Biologists with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) are reporting increased black bear activity throughout the state, and they urge people who live in these areas of bear activity to go ahead and remove their birdfeeders. Black bear breeding season has bears on the move, and bears are hungry and looking for an easy meal. Birdfeeders in people’s yards are among the favorite targets of black bears. “If a bear has been reported in your area, go ahead and take your feeder down and leave it down,” said Tammy Wactor, SCDNR black bear biologist stationed in Clemson. “Don’t wait until the bear has knocked your feeder down to remove it. If the feeder is taken down and left down, the bear will move on.” Dealing with bears in the Upstate is a neighborhood problem and neighbors need to work together. If a neighborhood hears of a bear in the area, everyone should take their feeders down, and leave them down. If every single person with a bird feeder in the neighborhood doesn’t take that feeder down, then the black bear will find a reason to stay in the area. For more about black bears in South Carolina, including “A Homeowner’s Guide: Living with Bears,” visit www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/species/bear.html.