Why we’re seeing bears in southeastern Massachusetts

In May and June, southeastern Massachusetts residents were captivated by frequent sightings of a young male black bear that was seen roaming across the region.

During the bear’s travels, MassWildlife received flurries of calls reporting sightings as it moved through each town, MassWildlife biologist Dave Wattles said. Based on that information, officials are pretty certain it was just one bear.

“We’ve been able to consistently track that animal’s movements and are very, very confident that it is just a single animal,” he said.

The bear was first spotted around Sharon, Franklin, and Mansfield. But over the next few weeks, it traveled south through Taunton, Dighton, Freetown, and finally into Fall River.

It then seemed to head east through Dartmouth, New Bedford, Acushnet, Mattapoisett, Marion, and Wareham, before turning north and tromping through Plymouth and Carver.

For about two weeks towards the end of May, the bear was spotted in a town or city nearly every day, and sometimes twice a day.

After a sighting in South Carver on May 31, the bear didn’t seem to be spotted again until June 11 when he made an appearance in a resident’s front yard in Newton Highlands.

The next morning, the bear caused Arlington Public Schools to delay opening for an hour after it was seen walking down several different roads. Later that day, it was spotted on Wilson Farm in Lexington.

There aren’t supposed to be bears there

This isn’t the first time in recent years that a black bear — the only bear species that calls Massachusetts home — has been spotted in the southeastern part of the state.

Last year, a black bear — which is notably smaller and less aggressive than a grizzly — was seen wandering around Easton and Middleborough. Wattles said MassWildlife doesn’t believe last year’s bear is the same one currently roaming the region.

Beyond those two bears, Wattles said, MassWildlife has received reports of a handful of different bears in southeastern Massachusetts each year for the last several years.

But this region is not part of the black bear population’s established range, nor is it part of their recognized expanding range.

The bears’ established range consists of areas where researchers know reproducing females have taken up residence, Wattles said. The expanding range includes areas where researchers know males have taken up residence, but where there are not as many females.

But Wattles said the expanding range on the map just shows the most likely places where bears will become established. Arguably, he said, every town in southeastern Massachusetts could be included in the expanding range.

Why the bears are coming to southeastern Massachusetts

While female bears tend to stay closer to their mother’s territory, often choosing not to venture to the other side of a major highway, male bears are looking to establish new territory, Wattles said. Young male bears often travel 50 to 100 miles away from where they were born during their first journey away from their mothers. Establishing new territory allows them to avoid competing with other male bears for dominance and food.

In their search for food, Wattles said, they end up around people. This is because people often leave things that bears see as food outside, including bird feeders, food waste, compost, fruit trees and bushes, pet food, beehives, and backyard chickens.

“Bears are an animal that’s driven by food. And almost every single bear in Massachusetts has learned that the easiest place to get easy meals is around people’s homes and businesses,” he said.

The bears are here to stay

While there are about 4 to 5,000 black bears currently living in Massachusetts, Wattles said the bear population in Worcester County and nearby Connecticut is growing.

Additionally, Wattles said it’s possible that the male bears we’ve seen around southeastern Massachusetts over the last few years will decide to become permanent residents.

Wattles said that black bears used to live all across Massachusetts, up to the coast. But when European settlers came, they decimated the black bear population by chopping down forests and turning them into farmland, and by hunting bears for food and protection.

Over time, Massachusetts’ black bear population was largely driven back into the interior of the state, up into the northern Berkshires, Wattles said. But in the late 1800s, the state began preserving forests, and in 1952, the state instituted restrictions on hunting black bears.

By the 1970s, the black bear population began to grow and spread throughout the state again. Now, they’re just spreading back out into their old stomping grounds.

Learning to live with the bears

Since we will likely see more and more black bears in eastern Massachusetts in the coming years, it’s important that we adapt to life with bears, Wattles said.

“We’ve got bears living in very developed areas in Western Massachusetts,” he said. “They’re in yards, playgrounds, schools, and neighborhoods every single day and without incident.”

Wattles said the biggest change we need to make is ensuring we secure anything that bears consider food.

How to prevent bears from coming near your home or business:

• Make sure all garbage and compost bins have lids, are not overflowing, and do not smell
• Use electric fences to protect beehives and backyard birds
• Clean grills thoroughly before putting them away
• Do not leave out food scraps or pet food
• Use water features and native plants to attract birds instead of bird feeders

Thankfully, bears don’t usually see cats and dogs as food, so having your pet in your yard shouldn’t attract bears. And according to Wattles, no one has ever been seriously injured by a bear in Massachusetts.

But most importantly, if you see a bear, stay away. It is illegal to shoot bears on your property unless it is damaging your home or belongings.

“While black bears aren’t inherently aggressive towards people, it’s important to remember that it is a large and powerful animal and to give it space,” he said.

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