FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Bear activity is picking up in Kentucky with spring in full bloom, and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources has some tips for people who are having problems with the animals.

Instead
of trying to change the bear’s behavior, make some adjustments, the
department said. Most problems involve food, so make sure there’s no
garbage or food scraps that draw the animals close.

It’s against the law to feed bears in Kentucky, but roads around Pine Mountain and Black Mountain in eastern Kentucky have had an increase in bear feeding, the department said in a news release. Biologists have removed bears from those areas each summer.

Bears
can be seen anywhere in the state as young male bears leave their home
areas and wander in the spring and summer, the agency said.

Besides keeps garbage secure, the department
also suggests not leaving pet food outside overnight, removing bird
feeders in spring and summer, keeping grills clean, putting food scraps
in the trash rather than in the yard or a fire pit and surrounding
beehives with an electric fence.

window[‘bsa_content_preview_only_270062’] = true;