The most bear complaints in the state come from the Bradford
area, a state Game Commission official told Bradford City Council
at a work session Tuesday.

Rose Luciane, a wildlife conservation officer with the game
commission, told city officials that unless something is done about
the way people dispose of their garbage, the bears are here to
stay.

“We live in bear country,” she said. “Bears live in wooded
areas. Mass crops have been poor; there’s a lack of wild food.

“The only reason bears are coming into town is the garbage.
Bears know there is food where people live. Mother bears are
teaching their young about free garbage.

“Removing bears is not an option. There is nowhere left to put
them. We need to eliminate their food source,” Luciane said.

And people need to understand they cannot shoot at the bears, as
it is illegal and an innocent bystander could be seriously
harmed.

“We have an increase of people firing high-powered firearms,”
she said, adding that is too high of a risk anytime, but especially
in the dark of night when bears tend to visit homes.

Luciane brought a bed sheet that had been hanging outside when a
bear decided the sheet was in his way – it was shredded. And she
had an arrow that she had removed from a live bear that she had
trapped and tranquilized.

An injured bear walking around with an arrow stuck in its body,
or with a non-fatal gunshot, could be a serious safety risk to
anyone it comes across.

“Bears shouldn’t be feared or dismissed as harmless,” she said,
adding the animals don’t want contact with people any more than the
people do. Nonetheless, they are wild animals which are very strong
and fast.

Anyone with questions on how to deal with bears should contact
the Game Commission or look at the agency’s Web site, which has a
section on living with bears in Pennsylvania.

Luciane asked council to address the issue by creating
ordinances aimed at bear-proofing garbage.

“It can be as simple as asking people to keep all garbage inside
until pickup,” she said.

Officials from Foster and Bradford townships were also invited
to participate in the meeting, but only Chris Wolcott, a Foster
Township supervisor, took advantage of the opportunity. Luciane
handed out packets of information, including sample ordinances, to
city council and to Wolcott.

She told council that by enacting an ordinance regarding
garbage, raccoon and skunk complaints would decrease as well.

“To do nothing about the garbage problem is a disaster waiting
to happen,” Luciane said.

She explained there are a few simple ways people can treat their
food garbage to prevent a bear from tearing it open.

“Take a cup of bleach, not lemon or floral scented, and put it
on the food,” she said. “Spray the outside of the can with Raid or
ant killer and the bear cannot smell the food.”

However, everyone needs to participate to get rid of the
problem.

“The bear will walk through your yard to get to someone else’s,”
she added. “They won’t keep coming in for no food.”