“Moving a habituated, food-conditioned bear simply transfers the problem to another location,” DEEP said. “It can also have negative impacts on bears, as placing a new bear into existing territories can cause disputes or increase the likelihood of more conflicts because the bear will have to learn new natural food sources and human-sourced food is easier to find and acquire.”
DEEP anticipates conflicts between bears, people and pets will rise with the warm weather.
“The best way to keep your home and family safe, and keep bears wild, is to remove the food sources that are drawing bears into neighborhoods in the first place,” DEEP said.
Environmental officials recommend taking several steps to avoid conflicts with bears, especially now that bears are more active due to mating season.
Bears can be attracted to bird feeders, garbage, uncleaned grills and pet food, according to DEEP. It advises putting garbage out the morning of collection, and bringing any pet food indoors overnight.