Litter is always ugly. Few people realize it can also be deadly! This year has been a bad year for black bear/human interactions on the Dare County mainland. Most of the problems come from bears being fed. Deputy Refuge Manager Scott Lanier commented, "A fed bear is a dead bear. Once a bear has learned to get food from people, its just a matter of time before the bear or a person is hurt or dead. We have people call the office constantly asking us to move a bear. A problem bear here will be a problem bear any place its moved. Moving the bear is not the answer. The answer is to NOT feed bears."
Not all feeding of wildlife is intentional. Unfortunately, litter along Highway 64, resulting from the heavy stream of summer traffic, has become quite a problem for many refuge critters. Bears, especially, are being "baited" to the sides of the highway by leftovers carelessly tossed out the
window with trash. The results are devastating - ranging from the critters being hit by vehicles to people being approached by wild bears.
Be a part of the solution. Dont feed bears intentionally, and dont throw your trash out the window. Or, go a step further: come out and help local volunteers, and refuge staff perform a litter pick up on Friday, July 31st at 1:30 p.m. The rendezvous spot will be the Creef Cut Trail parking lot on Milltail Rd., off Highway 64, near East Lake. Bring gloves if you can.
For more information, please contact Abbey Reibel at 252-987-1118 or by e-mai:l Abbey_Reibel@fws.gov"> Remember- feeding bears and littering also are illegal.
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