Bear sighting reported in Central Avenue area

Residents in the Central Avenue area are being advised not leave any picnic baskets – or bird feeders, for that matter – in their backyard.

Police responded to a bear sighting in the area on Monday night, the first in the decades-long careers of both Police Chief Richard Tamburini and Deputy Chief Joseph Razza.

Charlie Brown, a wildlife biologist with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management’s Division of Fish and Wildlife, said Wednesday morning that the black bear was more than likely attracted to a bird feeder in the backyard where it was found.

“This time of year, there’s a lack of quality food for bears in the woods,” Brown said during a phone interview. “That feeder is full of black oil sunflower seed or suet feeder. It represents a very protein- and fat-enriched meal that [bears] otherwise wouldn’t normally get.”

Razza got the call at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Monday, and soon after he received a picture of the bear in question. Despite the docile nature of the bear in the photo, Razza marveled at its size.

According to DEM, black bears can weigh anywhere between 150 and 450 pounds.

“That’s pretty big,” Razza said, with a laugh, about the bear. “No one over here wants to be an alarmist. Obviously, people in Johnston are going to be a little, I don’t want to say concerned, but it’s odd for a bear to be in Johnston. Let’s put it that way.”

Brown said bears would eat grass or skunk cabbage, as well as leaves and buds. Food is still limited since the bears only emerged from hibernation around late March. He added that bear populations in New England have increased over recent decades because of “population expansion in neighboring states.”

“They haven’t fed in several months, weights are down,” Brown said. “It’s a substantial food reward for them. Once a bear goes to one yard, they recognize, now maybe I’ll check this yard. Bears will develop a pattern of visiting backyards looking specifically for bird feed and we don’t want bears to get into that habit.”

Brown encouraged area residents to take in their bird feeders from April until November so as to prevent any curious bears from entering their backyards. He added that, should a bear enter a backyard, scaring it away should be the first priority.

“Most of these raids take place during the overnight hours. They often come in late at night, in the middle of the night,” Brown said. “The best thing to do is to go that window or door and make your presence known. Bears are generally shy animals. In most cases, bears will retreat when their presence is known. I would encourage people to do that.”

Razza also advised eliminating “any type of food source in your yard,” such as garbage, garbage buckets and the aforementioned bird feeders.

He also said people should exercise caution when leaving pets outside at night.

“Our concern is no one approach this thing, no one approach this bear, call us if they see it,” Razza said. “And the other thing is small pets – people who might leave their dogs, cats, whatever it is outside or other types of animals of that nature. I’m just really concerned for the health, safety and well being of not only the people in the area, but obviously their pets and the animals they have on their property.”

Razza said there’s potential for the bear to move across Central Avenue to the Bishop Hill Road area. Tamburini urged residents to exercise an “abundance of caution” just to be safe.

“That whole area incorporates Central Avenue all the way up … to Bishop Hill Road, all that area up there. It’s pretty vast,” Razza said. “There’s a lot of area up there, and that’s where the power lines are. Where they’re coming from or where it came from, I don’t know, but they migrate.”

Razza reiterated that the department’s media release shortly after the report was not meant to cause a panic, but to get the word out to those living in the area.

“We don’t want anyone to be alarmed about it, but just to be cognizant that there is a bear sighting,” Razza said. “I’ve lived in the town all my life, and [Tamburini and I] were saying, ‘Really? A bear?’”