Since Smithfield Patch's July 2 story on a bear sighted in Smithfield recently, later spotted in Exeter, another bear was sited July 5 in Burrillville on Emerson Road and Hill Road.
That bear was last seen heading north through the woods parallel to Hill Road.
Bears are attracted to trash cans, grills and bird feeders. If sited, officials advise to not panic or approach the bear. If the bear is in your yard DEM advises he can probably be scared off by banging pots and pans.
The RI DEM notes that bear sightings will likely become more common, thanks to a few factors favoring their return since the last sightings in the 1800s.
With the advent of modern wildlife management practices in the early 1900s, bears and many other species of wildlife were afforded protections under federal and state laws. Also, as many farms in the northeast were abandoned, regeneration of forests created suitable habitat for bears.
Black bear populations have been slowly increasing throughout southern New England in recent decades. As bear populations increase in neighboring states the sight of a black bear in Rhode Island will become an increasingly common occurrence.
With that in mind, the DEM has posted a series of daily tips for when bears are around.
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