wildlife

Bears Are Going for Backyard Chickens, Causing More Human Conflicts in Mass.

Normal chicken wire or a chicken coop is not enough to hold off a black bear, wildlife officials warn

Mass. Division of Fisheries and Wildlife

Massachusetts wildlife officials are getting daily calls about bears breaking into chicken coops, and as raising backyard chickens has risen in popularity the issue is becoming the number one source of human-bear conflicts, the state's Division of Fisheries and Wildlife warned earlier this month.

Normal chicken wire or a chicken coop is not enough to hold off a black bear, wildlife officials warn. Electric fencing is needed to protect chickens or other poultry from bears.

Electric fencing can be installed around coops to protect birds. Officials also recommend keeping the area around the coop open and mowed and away from overgrown vegetation. Bears can climb trees and will do so to get into coops. They can also use brush as cover when they approach a coop.

For more tips on electric fencing, click here.

An estimated 4,500 black bars live in Massachusetts. While they are more common in the western and central parts of the states, they are ranging east to the I-495 corridor, wildlife officials said.

Black bears are generally wary of humans, but they can become a nuisance if they learn to rely on humans as a source of food. If you see a bear, experts suggest hazing it by yelling, waving your hands and making a lot of noise. Do not approach a bear or get between a female bear and her cubs. For more information on black bears and how to handle an encounter, click here.

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