The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says bears are becoming active after their winter hibernation and urges residents to take steps to prevent conflicts.
The department says bear incidents have been rising and in 2022 there were high numbers of bear home break-ins and two bear attacks. Officials believe the state’s black bears are increasingly associating people with food.
Proactive steps to avoid encounters with bears include: taking down birdfeeders between late March and December; putting garbage in bear-proof containers; feeding pets indoors and never feeding bears.
Bears engaging in potentially dangerous behavior can be reported on the Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s Living with Black Bears webpage.