NH Bear Naps In Backyard Of City Home: Report

MANCHESTER, NH — A black bear was spotted in Manchester over the weekend, according to multiple reports. Bear sightings in Southern New Hampshire are rare, especially for Manchester, the state's most populated city.

“I was shocked," a Manchester resident told CBS Boston after he saw the bear napping in a tree in his backyard Sunday morning. The fully grown animal left after a few minutes under the supervision of New Hampshire Fish and Game officers, according to CBS Boston.

Black bears are the only kind of bears in New Hampshire and their population numbers about 5,000 in the state. Last year in July, Nashua police said they were forced to shoot and kill a black bear that appeared downtown because an excited crowd cornered it.

Bears are attracted by bird feeders, pet food, seed, compost and trash, officials said.

State officials provided these tips for preventing conflicts with bears:

• Avoid filling bird feeders: Bears that find a bird feeder will often revisit that site, month after month, year after year. Bird feeders, bird seed, corn and other bird foods can draw bears into closer proximity to people and often result in bears losing their fear of people.
• If you see a bear in your yard: Make noise by banging pots and pans, shouting, or using an air horn to try to scare the bear off. Once the bear has left the area, take a close look at your yard for potential bear food sources such as bird feeders, pet food, dirty barbecue grills, open compost, or trash and remove the food sources immediately.
• If you come face to face with a bear: Remain calm, talk to the bear in a calm voice (try 'hey bear, hey bear") and slowly back away and leave the area. If a bear approaches or follows you, make yourself look bigger by putting your arms above your head. Continue to repeat "hey bear" in a calm voice and back away and leave the area while monitoring the bear.

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