Buckrail- Last week, many people spotted several black bears cruising around the Aspens neighborhood in Wilson. To avoid potential conflicts, one of the bears was relocated.
According to Mark Gocke, public information specialist for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, there is a good crop of berries, both hawthorn and service berry, in the Aspens and other neighboring areas that has attracted a number of black bears in recent weeks, which isn’t unusual.
“We are not aware of any conflicts (e.g. human food rewards, property damage, aggressive behavior, etc.) at this time. However, there was one black bear that was quite visible and getting pretty bold around people, so that bear was captured and moved to the Togwotee Pass area last Friday,” said Gocke. “We have gotten reports of a sow black bear with two cubs and another single black bear in the Aspens subdivision. We aren’t aware of any conflicts at this time, so we are just continuing to monitor the situation.”
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department urges landowners to keep all potential bear attractants such as garbage, bird feeders, pet food, etc., unavailable to bears.
“Hopefully, the bears will continue feeding on berries until they are gone and move on,” Gocke added.