Living in harmony with local wildlife can pose a conundrum depending on the animals you encounter. Regina Keller of Fort Valley, Virginia is always happy to welcome local wildlife onto her property, even big fat black bears. (1)
Black Bear Pool Visitor
Regina was enchanted when visited by a chubby black bear that wandered into her backyard. She’s a lover of all wildlife and was in no way threatened when the lummox of an animal lumbered onto her property. (1)
Photographing the wildlife in her backyard has been a hobby of Regina’s for 12-years now. With a home backing onto the George Washington National Forest, she’s accustomed to visits from the many deer, bears, foxes, and squirrels with whom she happily shares her backyard. (1)
Biggest Black Bear Yet
When out watering her flowers, she watched the chubby black bear come into her yard. “This was the biggest one I’ve seen this year,” she says. (1)
Instead of being frightened, she watched the bear walking around. She soon recognized the visitor as a bear she hasn’t seen in two-years. She sat quietly watching him from a safe distance. When he spotted the wading pool she set up for her grandkids, the bear decided to take a dip. (1)
Black Bear Pool Soak
“He wandered around the backyard… and went over by the pool and dipped his big paw in the water… and then climbed right in and laid down. He seemed so content and refreshed.” (1)
She watched him chilling and napping in the pool for close to an hour when the sound of her grandkids, dogs in tow, startled him. “It was neat to see and neat that I had my camera with me to capture it,” she says. (1)
Black Bears Of Virginia
People living in areas across North America learn to coexist with these adorable, but potentially dangerous animals. They live in residential areas of Virginia like Regina’s where homes back onto forested lands. (2)
Bears are common in the Blue Ridge and Alleghany Mountains. Locals can spot them just about anywhere in Virginia according to data and the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources field staff. In fact, they are found in about 92 of Virginia’s 98 counties and cities. (2)
Despite their threat, black bears are popular among humans who are excited to spot them. If people learn to keep bears wild, people and bears can live in harmony. This means humans should avoid feeding the bears. (2)
Keeping Black Bears Wild
Bears have a very adaptable nature. Once they associate humans with food, they are more likely to view houses as fair game when they’re hungry. The problems with bears are more likely problems with humans. A lack of understanding leads to human behavior that makes a bear’s life difficult. When humans unwisely or even unknowingly feed bears, the bears expect more food. This is usually at the heart of bear/human conflicts. (2)
Reduce Risk Of Black Bears
A simple tip to minimize risk is to remove food that attracts bears including bird feeders, garbage, pet food, grills, livestock feeds, compost, and beehives. This is especially important when natural food supplies tend to dwindle in the spring, but best-respected all year round. (2)
Just remember black bears naturally distrust us and are shy in nature. If you let them alone and reduce the food available around your home, you can help keep them happy and wild. (2)
