UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Are you smarter than the average black bear? If so, you'll take down the bird feeders if bears have been seen in your neighborhood, says a wildlife biologist in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

"This time of year, females chase the cubs from the den so they can look for new mates," says Gary San Julian, professor of wildlife resources in the School of Forest Resources. "The young males may travel miles to find a new home range, often roving through residential neighborhoods at night, feeding on garbage and bird feeders."

If people have black bears -- or a history of bears -- in their neighborhoods, San Julian suggests they stop feeding birds from now until late June. "Black bears like suet and seeds and will pull down wrought-iron posts and chew through feeders to get to it," he says.

He also suggests cleaning up loose grain and keeping garbage cans tightly sealed. "If you feed your pets outside, bring the food in when they're done," he adds. "Don't ever leave out dog and cat food. Pet foods attract bears and other wildlife bandits, like raccoons and rats. Yard sanitation is always good practice where wildlife might come looking for a free meal."

Bear damage can be distinguished from damage by other animals by the size of the mess. "Smaller animals like raccoons are more fastidious," San Julian says. "They'll climb inside a garbage can to poke through the contents. But a bear usually will knock over the can, spread the contents all over the yard and have a good old time."

Black bears also have easily recognized footprints. "They're the heaviest animal in Pennsylvania -- they can weigh over 500 pounds," San Julian says. Their hind prints resemble a seven-inch-long human footprint, while their front paws are smaller, usually 3 1/2 to 4 inches wide. "Sometimes you'll see piles of bear feces," he says. "It's much larger than droppings from a dog." Other bear signs include claw marks on trees and bites on bird feeders.

You usually can scare bears from your yard by yelling at them. However, when homeowners leave food out, bears become familiar with an area and lose their fear of humans. "That's a major problem with many of our wildlife species -- we treat them like pets," he says. "Many animals have had to be destroyed because people thought it was cute to feed them and take their picture. But it does no justice to the animal, or people who encounter them later."

Bears often aren't content to eat fruits and nuts, but move on to sunflowers and cantaloupes, San Julian explains. They get used to people, don't want to leave and may have to be trapped and moved. "After moving the same bear a couple of times, it is better and safer to put it down. You don't know when the next problem may be more severe. The bear also may become a problem with highway traffic. Hitting a 500-pound bear will give you more than a new grille."

The black bear population in Pennsylvania increased from about 2,500 in 1975 to about 10,000 in 1998. They often are found near the edges of wooded areas they use for travel lanes. "You'll see bears near open land, gamelands or farmlands," San Julian says. "You might even see a bear sneaking through an urban area, like Philadelphia."

No one has been killed by a black bear in Pennsylvania in the past 100 years. Although black bear attacks on humans are very rare, San Julian offers some advice: "If the bear is standing and clicking its jaw, that's a real sign of aggression. Don't run -- back up slowly to leave the area. Although the advice for a grizzly bear attack is to curl up in the fetal position and play dead, fight a black bear as hard as you can. Hit them with your camera, binoculars, a stick or a rock. Usually they'll go away."

Black bears generally are aggressive only when you get between a mother and her cubs, San Julian says. "Don't climb a tree to get away. Bears are excellent climbers -- often the mother will send a cub up a tree to protect it. If you climb that tree, she's not going to be happy.

"On the average, you're lucky if you see a few bears in your lifetime," he says. "In more than 25 years, I've seen only two -- and that's been at a distance as they moved quickly to get away." Bears can run up to 30 miles an hour, he adds, but when crossing a highway, they're no match for a car or truck.

Bears -- which love honey -- also damage beehives in the fall. "They're looking for high energy before entering the den for the winter," San Julian says. "Many beekeepers protect hives with electric fences. Although bears can go through a fence, it trains them to keep out. If your hives were attacked previously, you may want to bait the fence with a half-open can of sardines. When the bear grabs the food, the fence will zap him. The point is not to do him harm, but surprise him, so he associates the food with a bad experience."

Bears also have been known to walk through cornfields, lie down and damage large circular areas, San Julian says. "These circular areas are very characteristic of bears," he says. "They also come into orchards to enjoy the apples."

Farmers can scare bears away with pyrotechnics, such as cracker shells or specially designed pistols that discharge shells that ignite with a bang, whine or light display. But if a farmer or homeowner has a continuing bear problem -- not just a nuisance -- they can contact the Pennsylvania Game Commission. "A conservation officer will help you decide what should be done," San Julian says. "The officer may bring a barrel trap, live trap the bear and move it to another area.

"A bear coming through your yard and taking out a bird feeder isn't a major problem," he adds. "It's just one of the niceties of living with our native wildlife -- and a great story to tell your friends."

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EDITORS: For more information, contact Gary San Julian at 814-863-0401.

Contacts: Kim Dionis KDionis@psu.edu 814-863-2703 814-865-1068 fax