Human encounters with black bears have
increased across the White Mountain National Forest. While many visitors
and campers never encounter a bear, the Forest is their home and bears
can quickly become habituated to human food. In the past week, numerous
incidents of bears looking for food have been reported by visitors at
Sugarloaf I and II, Hancock, Campton, and Tripoli campgrounds, as well
as along several trails on the Pemigewassett Ranger District east of
Interstate 93.Visitors are reporting that bears have been seen rummaging
through coolers, crawling into tents and underneath shelters, and
reaching food in improperly hung storage bags. When bears are successful
in obtaining food rewards, their fear of people lessens.
It is vital that you keep a clean campsite to ensure bears and other
animals don’t forage for your food. Be sure to properly store all food,
including drink containers, condiments like ketchup and mustard, and
empty food wrappers! Improperly stored food not only attracts bears to
people currently camping at a site, but lets the bear know that it can
find food at that campsite in the future. The bear may return to the
site when other families are recreating there.
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