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What to do if you encounter a black bear in Alabama
HUNTSVILLE, Ala (WHNT) — To the surprise of some Huntsville residents this week, a black bear was caught on camera roaming around their houses.
While this sight may make you do a double-take, experts say black bear sightings in Alabama are actually pretty common.
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'May through late July, bears are their most active and more likely to be seen statewide,' said Marianne Gauldin. Gauldin is a biologist with the Alabama Wildlife and Fisheries Division.
She said many are fearful of black bears, but they are not there to bother you.
'If they're behaving normally, they won't approach you, and if you don't have an attractant out for them, they typically won't stick around for long,' she said.
Although the sightings are not out of the ordinary, there are a few things you can do to prevent these four-legged friends from paying you a visit.
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'Bears are attracted to anything that would attract a raccoon,' she said. 'So think about it….anything that you leave outside that a raccoon would approach, a bear would approach. This includes pet food, left outside trash, left outside bird feeders, even a summertime grill that smells like hot dogs.'
If you're immediate reaction is to quietly sneak away, Gauldin said you should actually do the opposite.
'Make sure that it sees you too,' she said. 'Clap your hands, wave your arms above your head, and holler at it.'
She said the tactic of 'playing dead' does not apply to black bears.
'If you were to find yourself in hand-to-hand combat in Alabama with a black bear, fight back, pick up rocks, poke it in the eyes, punch it in the nose, all of those things,' said Gauldin.
At the end of the day, they're just there to go through your trash looking for food and give you a good laugh on your camera.
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