A wildlife animal recently paid a visit to a local residence. George Bethke lives near Pigeon Creek on County Road 1175, and he recently spotted a bear on his property. Bethke says it has appeared in his yard on several occassions.
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Wildlife Officer Corporal Doug Small says while the bear may appear brown or cinnamon in color, it’s actually a black bear, and there are no brown bears in Arkansas. Corporal Small says the bear has since moved on from the property, and he hasn’t received a call on it in one to two weeks.
The major advice Corporal Small gives in dealing with black bears is that feeding them is not only discouraged, but it’s also illegal. He says residents with bird feeders, dog food, cat food, chicken feed or any other food source should remove those sources if they spot a black bear. The bear will eventually move on and look for food elsewhere. If a bear gets accustomed to being fed by humans, it’ll keep returning to that food source, and as it gets bigger, it can become more aggressive toward food.
Corporal Small says it’s also recommended to campers that they store their food as well, but black bears showing up at campgrounds is more rare. While it’s possible for a bear to go into a campground, Corporal Small says it typically avoids areas where there might be several people because it’s normally as scared of humans as humans are of bears.
Anyone with questions about black bears can contact the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s North Central Office in Calico Rock at 877-297-4331.
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