Wild Animal Safety Part One: Bears and Other Big Game

Bears and other large animals have not been an issue in Mansfield over the last for nearly 20 years, according to Animal Control Officer Jeff Collins.

He said the only time he has even heard of a bear encrouching on Mansfield was last year on Casa Drive. Apparently, a small cub had been seen on the edge of the woods of someone's backyard.

"It went back into the woods by Shaws," he said. "That was the last we'd seen or heard of it."

This year, however, bears have been sighted , but not in Mansfield itself. Collins said the best thing to do if you see a bear it to use common sense.

"If you're near a car, your house, go back inside," he said. "If you see one while driving on 495, you should call the State Police on their business line. They'll call the Environmental Police."

He said that if you're walking along a trail and you can see it from a distance, the best thing to do is to go in the opposite direction, while making as little sudden movements as possible and keeping a steady eye on it then call the local authorities.

"It depends on how far and how close you come to it," he said.

Another method he said helps is the sound of metal on stone. He said a good method to accomplish this sound would to take an aluminum can, crush it halfway down and put a number of pebbles in it, making what is essentially a maraca.

"The sound of metal on stone is a distinct sound," Collins said. "It's something different that you won't normally hear in nature. Most animals will pick up on that, and tend to give you wide berth, because they'll hear you coming."

For a close encounter, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department recomends pepper spray. They said in a Bear Fact Sheet, featured to the right, that pepper spray can be preferable to bullets. The eyes of an animal are usually its weak spot, and are more likely to discontinue pursuit or attack. Keep in mind these fact sheets are distributed in the midwest and western regions of the United States, where bear encounters are becoming far more common.

So, if you see a bear in your backyard, the best thing to do is to stay inside and call the authorities.

Part 2 of the Wild Animal Safety Series: Small Predators.