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First came Pizza Rat , quickly succeeded by Taco Squirrel . Then — faster than you’re able to say “ trend hashtags”—more unbelievable animal influencers grab their share of the societal media limelight : Doughnut Raccoon , Bagel Pigeon , and Hennessey Rat .
The latest impostor to the fauna revel Discarded Human Food throne?Cupcake Bear .
Photo: istockphoto.com
In May 2023 , the good people of Avon , Conn. , watched in fascination , if not in care , as a large sinister bear decided to march in the town ’s Memorial Day parade — just a few days after Cupcake Bear made his social - media debut by swiping some 60 sweet delicacy from a local bakery . No one knows for sure whether the parade player and the cupcake klepto are the same bear , but occupier of Avon , and Connecticut in general , are all too aware that they have abear job .
According to the province ’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection ( DEEP ) , some67 brave bearsbarged into Connecticut houses in 2022 . That ’s a striking increase from 2014 , when undesirable ursine visits number fewer than 10 . Why the uptick ? And what can homeowners do to protect their holding and family ?
Bears in Our Backyards
If a bear can plod , unflurried , aright down a parade path amidst hundreds of hoi polloi , it ’s no surprisal that they will enter our private spaces — our backyards and even our habitation — with aplomb . Viral videos and puff - slice nightly news theme , errr , yield out this speculation . What ’s more , while bear country once comprised only a few regions like Alaska , the Pacific Northwest , the Rocky Mountains , New England , and the Appalachian Mountains , bear populations are now much more well - travel and widespread .
Of the eight species of bear , only three arenative to North America : black bear ( Ursus Americanus ) , glacial bears ( Ursus maritimus ) , and brown bears ( Ursus arctos ) , which let in grizzlies and Kodiaks .
black-market bears , by far the most vernacular in the neighboring United States , have recently been spot in some very populated place : Burbank , the ‘ burbs of both Chicago and Atlanta , Washington D.C. , St. Louis , and many more atypical areas . bear still prefer woodlands and rural placement , but as our suburbs sprawl further from city , humans increasingly encroach on their territory . The paired is reliable , too — as bears become habituated to humans , they also become braver about crashing a backyard BBQ ( or at least return under concealment of duskiness to loot the wreckage ) .
Photo: istockphoto.com
Make Your Home Inhospitable to Bears
Likethe below the belt profiled opossum , not to mention subway - brood , pepperoni - loving urban varmint , black bears are essentially opportunistic . For them , to see a pic - a - nic basket is to seize a moving picture - a - nic basket ; ditto mark hoot feeder , yield trees , and recent contribution to compost piles . We do n’t have a bear trouble , conservationists postulate ; we have a citizenry problem . To that end , make your property as inhospitable as potential :
Anyone who ’s gone encampment in bear - wakeless areas knows what elaborated steps must be taken to discourage these furry burglar . For some citizenry , safety now depend on implement such caution at home , too .
What To Do When You Encounter A Bear
Luckily for those of us who would rather not be mauled defend the end of ourwatermelonfruit stadium or strawberry pie , black bears are the least severe ursine denizens of North America . That said , neither are they unilaterally , predictably harmless .
Viral picture of Cupcake Bear and his compatriots are often posted with captions call the animals “ cunning , ” “ harmless , ” “ singular , ” and invariably “ more afraid of us than we are of them . ” Perhaps due to pop culture ’s plethora of adorable , often miserable bears — Yogi and Boo Boo , Baloo , Winnie - the - Pooh , Paddington , the Care Bears , the scatalogically apt , strangely Technicolor Charmin Bears — man sometimes underestimate the potential danger that these definitely untamed creature present .
Bears are n’t necessarily the curt , pound beasts of toon ; they can sprint at speeds up to 35 miles per hour , downhill and uphill . Ursus americanussports claws that can be 2 inches long . If they sense threatened , they may very well attack . Here ’s how to handle a bear should you see one , whether in the woods or cast up to yourbackyard summerhouse .
Photo: istockphoto.com
Be human . First , know that bear generally avoid people . While on a hike , make plenty of noise — sing , call , talk , clangor your carabiner against your water system bottle . Explore in groups if potential ; united , you emit more olfaction and sound , thereby cable your human status . talk firmly . Using a low - slant but strong voice , tell the bear to get lost , go away , scram , scat singing … the literal words do n’t weigh as much as your take - commission timbre . Don’t scream or squeal . high up - pitched , panicky noises can make you sound like euphony to a hungry bear ’s ears — i.e. , prey . depend swelled . Wave your arms above your head . Get to elevated ground if you may ( or stand on your photograph - a - nic board ) . Do not climb a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , lest the bear clamber right up after you . Don’t flee . The bear may stand up to get a good look at you , or may draw close easy to take in your scent — it ’s learn whether you are prey . If you release and run , you remove all dubiousness . bear , like dog , will give chase . Move lento . If the bear is stationary , stay facing forward and mistreat carefully to the side or half-witted . Continue turn over it as astray a berth as possible until you attain safety or see the bear retirement . Don’t have anything . cast away granola bars or sandwich at a bear might seem like a chic way to distract it so that you may get off , but feeding a bear may trigger it to expect for seconds ( read : go about you ) . likewise , throwing a water bottleful or rock music could be interpreted as a threat or as troth . maintain carefully . This probably goes without saying , but keep your center on the bear ( without making eye contact , which could feel threatening ) . It might exhibit belligerent behaviors like baring its tooth or nipper , swinging its top dog back and away , making puffing or snorting or barking sounds , swat at the priming , or flattening its ears . These behavior are not signs of an imminent attack . Rather , they are defensive action , bespeak that the bear is stress and essentially asking you to back off .
Our Best Advice for Beginner Gardeners
We ’ll help oneself you set up your first garden — whether that ’s a few pots on your patio , a call down bed , or an in - background plot out back — and select the ripe plant for your soil and neighborhood .
Photo: istockphoto.com
Photo: isockphoto.com
