Bear backs out of trap in Fayette County community
Officials are on the lookout for a suspect. He's a presumed 300-pound male black bear who, at 3 a.m. on Thursday morning, was almost fully in a Game Commission trap in Connellsville Township. We say almost because after being halfway in, this bear decided to go back out, just before the trap door could lock him in for a humane relocation.
Pennsylvania Game Commission warden Andy Harvey says that bears like this one are out and about right now because it is spring, and they are hungry after their winter hibernation.
"Bird feeders and garbage make up probably 90% to 95% of the calls that we get dealing with bears," Harvey said. "And they realize that they can get easy access to that in towns and neighborhoods, so they are coming down, and bears tend to make a kind of a circle. They tend to hit up the same spots over and over again where they know they are getting food sources."
Jon Gilpin from the Department of Public Works for Connellsville Township says that the township is working with the Game Commission to catch this big fella, but they are asking the community for help in removing temptation.
"If people would try to keep their bird feeders in for a little bit or try not to put any corn out for deer," said Gilpin. "That way there is nothing there that is going to attract them to their homes. And hopefully it will go into the trap, and they will be able to relocate it back to the woods."
The Game Commission says that bears typically don't want anything to do with humans, other than eating their trash.
Bear attacks are very rare in Pennsylvania, but all the same, people near wooded areas should keep an eye out for bears, especially in the evening or at night.
If you see a bear, the protocol is to stay calm, start backing away slowly and talk loudly to ward them off.
And if you really want to keep a bear away from your property, Harvey says a water balloon filled with ammonia and peanut butter on the outside will provide a non-toxic and bad-tasting treat that acts as a bear repellent.
"It's not going to cause any harm to the bear itself," Harvey said. "But it's going to relate that, 'hey I had a very bad experience in this yard. I got a real bad taste in my mouth and in my nose, so I don't want to come back there.'"
So, remember, if you are in Connellsville or Connellsville Township, be bear-aware.
