@jeanne-mayell how do I feel about bears? I wish they lived their lives happy and free in areas restricted to humans… and that humans lived in areas restricted to bears.
I was terrified at first. I’ve calmed down, but I took the Animal Control officer’s advice and am also careful at dawn and dusk if I leave my house.
A friend who lives in northwestern NJ has had bears on her back deck multiple times (they have to climb the stairs to reach the deck). She lives on a lake which once was used for cutting ice for households. The whole area is dotted with similar small, beautiful lakes. They have more wooded areas than Bergen County and even more black bears. The whole area is now heavily populated and bears are contestant challenge.
Two of her encounters send shivers down my spine.
Once she was taking her daily walk and realized a large bear was her right staring at her from just a few feet away. She also realized that the bear’s cubs were directly to her left on the other side of the road. She was right in the middle between them…. She kept walking … at an intersection a car stopped, the woman gestured and my friend jumped into the car.
She was on one of the many roads around the lake packed with closely set small houses on both sides of the road— the very definition of suburbia. A heavily trafficked, four-lane highway is only about one mile away.
Another time she walked past a neighborhood Italian restaurant just after closing time. The restaurant’s lights were still on; the staff busy cleaning up. A large bear had climbed a flight of stairs to the front porch. The bear was on its hind legs leaning against the front door which was half glass—his nose raised—he was sniffing the enticing aromas coming from the restaurant. My friend kept walking.
Yes, we have lots of black bears in my state. Bears were here first before the farms and towns and cities and our burgeoning suburbs. Most of my fellow citizens don’t even realize it. Nor are they aware how many coyotes we have. I have a story about a pack that lives in my neighborhood (but I won’t bore you with it).
My friends from out West laugh because black bears are smaller than their truly impressive beasts. But all bears can outrun humans and they can be dangerous.
As I said, they were here first and they’re not going anywhere. Why would they leave? We’ve got kitchens and lots of garbage pails and bird feeders.
This is such a fun read, @freya