A reader sent rrspin.com a photo of a black bear seen in the Hyacinth Lane area of Highway 48 outside Roanoke Rapids. The bear was seen foraging in a dumpster around Quankey Church and residents are alarmed, going as far to not allowing their children to go outside and play.
There is no danger, Hatcher said. “They're more scared of you. The problem is people feeding them and giving them an open food source.”
The food these bears find in residential areas is not going to be enough to sustain them and they will eventually find new areas if the food source is cut off.
What people typically see through May and June are last year's cubs whose mothers force them to leave. “They are looking for their own place and territory,” said Hatcher.
The best thing to do when you see a bear is nothing. “Just leave it alone and take a picture.”
The only time there could be a danger is if a sow and her cub are spotted. “If the cub is threatened it's going to make a noise and the mom's going to respond,” Hatcher said.
Bears have been seen in Rocky Mount and Raleigh, the sergeant said.
If you see a bear in your neighborhood make sure garbage containers are sealed tight. Business owners or others with dumpsters should close the sliding doors, making the dumpsters bear proof. “Bears don't want to be around people,” Hatcher said.
Retired Wildlife enforcement officer Jim Ward said another reason more bears are being seen is a loss of habitat. As they lose habitat they travel. There are resident bears in Rich Square and Conway.
Ward said bears should be treated like stray dogs. “Their eyesight is poor, their sense of smell is excellent. You can run them off.”
There is to be no profanity and there is to be no character assassination even if the person being written about is a suspect in a crime.
Comments that presume knowledge of a person’s home life, financial situation or other personal details will be not be posted as will comments which presume legal knowledge.
All comments must be on the topic of the story and offer the reader’s insight on a particular issue. rrspin.com will cease posting comments if the editor determines readers are infighting with one another and not staying on the topic of a story.
rrspin.com prefers readers use their real names because anonymous posters are accountable for their comments just as readers who post their names are.