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General News: Bear Sightings Increase This Fall
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| Bear in the backyard of a Cornwall residence last May. Photo by Connie Wagner. |
October 27, 2011
By Charlie B. Scirbona
In the past few months the village of Cornwall-on-Hudson and town of Cornwall have played host to some unwelcome furry friends.
Black bear sightings in the town and village have been happening on a regular basis this fall, according to Town of Cornwall Police Chief Todd Hazard.
“We’ve had an inordinate amount of bear sightings for this time of year,” said Hazard. “We’re usually done with most of the bear calls by May or June, sometimes August,” he said. He added that some weeks the department gets almost daily calls of bear sightings.
Sightings of black bears during their mating season in May and June falls in line with what Hazard said he normally expected, however, there hasn’t been an explanation why bears wandering into the town and village now.
Village Police Officer John Pena said that he and the other village officers have responded to many bear sightings, but each time the bear has already left. Hazard said the varied locations of the sightings tell him that a few different bears are wandering around. He said there have been fairly regular calls from residents along the Boulevard, on Deer Hill Road, out on Beaks and Mine Hill Roads.
Some people have taken the recent abundance of bears in good humor. The staff at 2 Alices Coffee Lounge put out their chalk board sign with a message asking people to submit names for the Cornwall bear.
However, Mary Ann G. Neuman said that she’s decided to not get any more pumpkins after a bear came to her home on Braden Place in the village one night and ate them one by one. Hazard said that he’s had a few instances where a bear broke into a resident’s wooden garbage bins to get at the garbage.
Hazard recommended putting Lysol or bleach in garbage cans or bins to ward off bears, as well as making sure any sort of food source for bears is removed. While bears are omnivores, they prefer natural food sources like nuts and berries, and they will also go for human food like corn and honey. Hazard also recommended people take care of their bird feeders as bears are also attracted to those as food sources.
They’re not really interested in us,” Hazard. “If residents do see a bear they should call the police and we’ll come scare it off.”
If you have and stories or pictures (taken at a safe distance of course) of the bears, send them to [email protected]
Comments:
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Come on now people. We live in wooded areas. Stop bothering the police with petty bear complaints. The bear have been here longer than you have. You are living in their house. If you don't like it then move to the city.
By James Horne.
posted by james horne on 10/27/11 at 4:30 PM
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My house is 65 years old. This may have been the bear's home at one time but it's mine now. DO NOT listen to Mr Horne. A bear that is injured or has cubs nearby can be very dangerous. Any bear can be dangerous to your outdoor pets as well. If there is a bear in your neighborhood, please call the police.
posted by Frank Vido on 10/27/11 at 8:27 PM
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Better to call your neighbors and let them know a bear is around. Unless you have a tasty food source laying about (bird or pet feeder, garbage can, compost heap, etc.) you can usually scare off a bear with loud noises from banging pots and pans or an air horn. Do not let your dog out to chase a bear off!
posted by Kate Benson on 10/28/11 at 8:02 AM
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