Carroll Township police warn of black bear sightings

In June, black bear yearlings leave mom and search for food, shelter and a place of their own. Adult males travel far and wide looking for mates.

Black bears have been spotted in Carroll Township.

On Thursday, Carroll Township police took to social media to advise residents to keep an eye out for the animals, as they have been spotted in the area.

Police said two sightings have been reported this week.

One bear was spotted in the Isabelle Street area, across from Fisher Heights Giant Eagle, and a second on Columbia Road.

Black bears woke up recently from hibernation, and will roam freely until fall.

While black bears generally explore their habitat alone, except when gathering at places with plentiful food, like acorns in oak forests or corn in farm fields, males and females pair up during the summer breeding season.

Females raise cubs for up to a year and a half.

They are most active dusk and dawn, and like many animals, they are drawn to areas plentiful with food and water, and while they do not need a den during summer months, still need safe places to sleep and find shelter during severe weather and storms.

According to bearwise. org, a black bear can smell the scent of a human in a footprint, ripe berries in the air or a steak grilling from a mile away. BearWise is a black bear program the Pa. Game Commission partners with to provide sound information and smart solutions that help homeowners, businesses and communities coexist with bears.

A bear can smell seven times better than a bloodhound, known for tracking lost people.

“When it comes to food, a bear goes into high alert, smelling particles so tiny we wouldn’t be able to see them,” the website stated. “Bears prefer their natural foods, but some may overcome fear of humans if their explorations are rewarded with unsecured trash, high-calorie pet food, or greasy barbecue grills.”

Bears eat both meat and vegetables, which makes them omnivores.

This time of year, bears eat around 5,000 calories a day, but in the fall, that number nearly quadruples and the animals consume up to 20,000 calories every day to get ready for winter.

Right now their diet mostly consists of plants.

In the summer, they will primarily eat berries and insects, and in the fall will begin to incorporate nuts into their diet.

In between, they will eat dead animals, small mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians.

There are simple things residents can do to keep themselves, their pets and bears safe.

It’s important to never feed or approach a bear if spotted in your yard or on your land.

Food and other food related odors attract the animals, so it is equally important to secure food, garbage and recycling materials. Grills, and smokers should be routinely cleaned and stored properly.

Because bears do enjoy nuts and other seeds and grains, bird feeders should be removed when bears are active.

Pet food should also not be left outdoors.

When it comes to pet safety, if bears have been spotted in your area, it’s best to keep four-legged family members on a leash at all times when outside.

Dogs were involved in more than half of all reported incidents involving people and black bears between 2010 and 2015.

Just under half of those dogs were injured or killed; their human companions did not fare quite as well, with 62% of them being injured.

“Many of the dogs had been off-leash, a situation that can easily result in the dog chasing or cornering a bear and being injured, killed, or turning tail and running back to its owner with an aggravated bear close behind,” the website states. “Letting your dog run free in the neighborhood or the woods is usually illegal and always dangerous. A much higher percentage of dogs that get into confrontations with bears are seriously injured or killed when dogs are off leash. The people who try to rescue a dog are also more seriously injured.”

Carroll Township police want residents to be safe, aware and cautious.

“Bears are on the move this time of year, and always in search of a food source,” the police department said. “If you see a bear keep a safe distance away and please notify us of the location.”

Carroll Township police can be reached at 724-4835556.