Dartmouth Highway Bear Likely Just Passing Through, MassWildlife Says

DARTMOUTH (WBSM) — A bear black bear has reportedly been making its way through the SouthCoast once again, but MassWildlife says it is likely just passing through.

A caller into Fun 107’s Michael and Maddie show this morning reported that a bear was in the median of Interstate 195 in Dartmouth near Reed Road. It was the second time a bear had been reported in the area in the past few days.

Over the weekend, Acushnet residents in the area of Sheffield Street caught a bear on Ring cameras.

A bear had also been spotted in Bourne earlier last week.

A bear was also caught on a Ring camera taking a dip in a backyard pool in Pembroke.

Originally, it was thought that only one bear had made its way down to our neck of the woods, but MassWildlife later confirmed there was likely more than one bear in our area.

Previously, it was believed that bears had been visiting the SouthCoast because it was black bear mating season, and male bears were wandering in search of a mate. However, mating season typically runs through early July, so it seems kind of late for the bears to be out on the prowl, so to speak.

We checked in with MassWildlife’s Black Bear and Furbearer Biologist Dave Wattles to find out if, with black bear mating season over, does that mean any bears still hanging around are likely to be permanent SouthCoast residents now?

“This is almost certainly one of the bears that moved up the coast further east, with one making it all the way up to Hull and Hingham, before turning around and slowly making its way back south,” Wattles said.

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“So it seems like it is still in wandering mode, just heading back the direction it originated from,” he said. “Whether it’s this individual or another takes up residence in the immediate area, bears will continue to be a greater part of everyday life in southeast Massachusetts in the coming years.”

The bears are coming, people. We’ve got to learn to live with them.