A Lower Saucon Township homeowner’s video surveillance equipment captured this image of a black bear on April 2.
There’s been another black bear sighting in Lower Saucon Township; the second in as many weeks.
This time the bear was spotted in the backyard of a home on Kally Ridge Road, which is in the Wassergass section in the eastern part of the township.
The homeowner whose trail cam captured the image of the bear above noted that the bear seen on the right is a bow and arrow target and approximately the size of a labrador retriever, for size perspective.
Bear sightings are not uncommon in Lower Saucon Township, and according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission black bears are naturally curious creatures with whom people can generally peacefully coexist.
Since black bears will eat human food, garbage, bird food, pet food, fruit from trees or gardens and livestock feed it’s important to limit their potential food sources if you live in a rural area alongside them.
“Once bears find easily accessible food sources, whether on a farm or in a housing development, they will keep coming back as long as food is available,” the game commission website states. “With every returning trip they slowly lose their fear of people, which can lead to bolder attempts at accessing food, and as time spent near people increases, so does the risk of being struck by a vehicle or becoming a more serious nuisance.”
The Game Commission offers these tips for keeping black bears at bay:
- Don’t put your garbage outside until the morning of your scheduled trash pickup.
- Clean and rinse garbage cans with chlorine bleach and hot water regularly.
- Clean barbecue grills after each use.
- If you want to have birdfeeders, bring them inside at night.
- Avoid putting food scraps in compost piles.
- Bring pet food and/or pet bowls inside at night.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission currently has a live feed of a black bear in its den in Monroe County, which you can view here and below.
Find more information about Pennsylvania black bears here.
