The state’s black bear population is healthy and thriving according to wildlife experts.
“We’re kind of still experiencing the long-term expansion of our bear population from our remnant population in the Berkshires that has slowly grown and expanded to much of the state now,” said Dave Wattles of MassWildlife.
Gov. Maura Healey was in western Massachusetts Friday with her family as wildlife experts checked on a family of black bears in the woods of Palmer.
The mother bear was tranquilized after she was found in her den with three cubs. Massachusetts has as many as 5,000 black bears.
“It’s super cool to be here and to be welcoming the newest resident Massachusetts or one of them anyway,” the governor said, holding a young male cub. “We hope he sticks around.”
The state has been monitoring black bears for 40 years. Females are tracked with collars to better understand and manage the population, which is thriving. The cubs were born in January. They’ll spend the next year with their mother, hibernate with her next winter and then they’ll be off on their own.
”It’s like odd that I’m holding one. I never pictured myself doing that,” one young girl said of the cub she had was holding her jacket.
Before they were returned to their den, all the bears were weighed. The cubs are about 6 pounds. The mother, more than 200. They’re not as big as the animals that live closer to urban areas, where they’re attracted by other food sources.
”If you care about these bears, take down your birdfeeders, don’t provide foods for them, let them live on natural foods,” Wattles said.
The bears around the state are just waking up from hibernation, but the experts say they’re more active this year because of the warmer weather.