Neighbors worry about bear problem
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HILLSBORO, Oregon (KPTV) — Neighbors on Bald Peak are concerned after many in the area have seen a bear on their property. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says it believes there are two bears and they don’t appear to be phased by the presence of people.
Folks on Bald Peak say they have been dealing with the bear for a couple of weeks. Some people who didn’t want to be identified say a bear got into an outdoor freezer and pulled out a bag of cherries. Those people told FOX 12 they did not intentionally feed the bear and have since strapped the freezer shut and sprayed their porch with ammonia.
Kathe Seabold says a bear destroyed her feeder just over a week ago and she’s still hearing stories about other encounters. “It’s getting too close to too many people. It doesn’t have any fear. I mean, it was four feet away from my front door,” said Seabold.
ODFW says if the bears get into food and garbage they become habituated to people and once that happens a bear has to be put down. Neighbors say they hope it doesn’t come to that, but also want to know their neighborhood is safe.
“This is dangerous and I don’t like the idea of having to destroy the bear, but the bear’s made some bad choices,” said Seabold.
ODFW says it’s asking neighbors to take steps to prevent the bears from coming to homes like buying bear-proof garbage cans, not taking your garbage out until just before pickup and removing bird feeders and pet food from outside. They also say if you ever see a bear you should stop, give the bear space, stay calm and avoid eye contact.
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