ROWLAND, PA — I love photographing wildlife and nature images, especially in our part of the Upper Delaware River valley. Normally it leaves me in a really great frame of mind, having witnessed moments in time of animals just being themselves in their everyday lives. Mothers and sometimes dads taking turns feeding and teaching their young are some of the best.

But a recent day wasn’t one of those feel-good times. A friend of mine who knows my passion for wildlife and photography gave me a call that morning. He had learned one of his neighbors in the Rowland area had found a large bear inside a closed-in porch of a house, where the neighbor was feeding house cats for the homeowners, who were out of town in New York City.

When I arrived on the scene, a Pennsylvania Wildlife Conservation Officer (WCO) was already present. I learned that this was the second time in the past 10 days or so that the bear had gotten into the house, and a trap had previously been placed on the property. I also learned that another neighbor had an encounter with the bear entering their domicile.

The bear was well known in the neighborhood for making his rounds during the fall season for the last several years, to fatten up on whatever it could scavenge from people’s trash to supplement his natural diet of nuts, berries and bugs. During the fall months, bears eat and drink nearly nonstop. They need to put on weight to prepare for winter and hibernation. This process is called hyperphagia. During hyperphagia, bears are very active, and food is their driving force.

The bears can be seen at any time of day, and sometimes people take it upon themselves to make meals easily available to them. The bears then learn that being around people will get them easy food.

I’ve heard for a long time that “A fed bear is a dead bear!” It is a mantra of the Pennsylvania Game Commission and other wildlife officers across the country. Soon, I would see this play out in real time. It is illegal to feed bears; it is even illegal to keep bird feeders up, knowing that bears are coming and emptying them out.

The WCO allowed me access into the home to take a photo through the dining room window, out onto the small enclosed porch where the bear lay a few feet under the window. The bear appeared lethargic, and was not stimulated much by the conversations going on nearby. It looked up in my direction as I snapped a photo.

This was no “ordinary” bear; it had an estimated live weight well north of 600 pounds. It was among the largest of the species in PA. The WCO said that the tranquilizer dose normally given to immobilize bears wasn’t large enough for this bruin, and even if it was, the bear likely would have left the porch at a high rate of speed. It takes 20 minutes to half an hour for the anesthesia to work, which would have made finding him again nearly impossible.

A second WCO arrived on the scene and the two officers worked out a plan to safely carry out the only option for this habituated bear, and that was to put the animal down. It was hoped that the bear would get up and exit the structure and present an opportunity for a shot outside the residence; however, after continued disturbances inside the residence, the bear refused to get up, leaving the WCO no alternative but to dispatch the animal inside the porch.

Remember, “A Fed Bear Is A Dead Bear.”

Please, DO NOT FEED BEARS! They don’t deserve the fate that you are luring them into. You are putting your unaware neighbors, their children, their pets and their guests in harm’s way. You do not want any bear, especially one of this size, inside your or your neighbors’ homes, porches or cars; nor do you want to be responsible for bodily harm to your neighbors, as well as for a bear’s untimely demise.

Take steps to minimize home encounters with black bears

• Take down bird feeders
• Feed your animals inside
• Put your trash outside on the morning of your scheduled pickup day
• Pour some ammonia (do not use bleach) into your garbage cans
• Don’t leave food in your car and keep the doors locked
• Utilize electric fencing to deter bears
• Enclose your compost pile
• Use an “unwelcoming mat”—usually boards with nails pounded through, and placed with the points facing upward in front of doors
• Call your local wildlife officials for problem bear encounters

If you encounter a bear unexpectedly

• Carry an approved bear spray in a readily accessible position, and know how to use it properly
• Make loud noises to alert the bear to your presence
• Stand tall, holding your arms in the air and possibly waving your shirt or jacket above your head to make yourself appear bigger
• Do not run—slowly back away from the bear
• Do not look directly into the bear’s eyes
• If you are attacked, fight back

Bears are known to make bluff charges, coming quite close before abruptly stopping and chopping the jaws together; it’s a sure sign that you should back away.

Black bears begin their hibernation period in mid-to-late November, but mild weather and abundant food could keep them out and about for a longer time. Male bears may only take short naps during winter, and are often active throughout the season.