Black bears

A Marion yacht worker got the surprise of her life this morning when a black bear walked right by her on the docks of Sippican Harbor and jumped in for a swim.

Bear reports are all over the SouthCoast, and this Marion encounter with tranq-wielding police might have caused the bear to high-tail it to Plymouth.

Keep track of all the bear sightings that have been happening across the SouthCoast this year with our interactive bear map.

New Bedford Police have asked people to avoid a far North End neighborhood as a black bear has been spotted making its way through the area.

As the black bears continue to work their way down onto the SouthCoast, one has now been spotted in the northern part of Dartmouth.

After sightings in Taunton and Mansfield, it seems the black bears are now making their way south, with weekend sightings reported in Assonet and Fall River.

It is bear season on the SouthCoast, and black bears have been seen around northern Bristol County in Mansfield and Taunton in recent days.

According to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, 'black bears have been increasing in numbers and distribution since the 1970s.'

I have always wanted to keep chickens in my backyard, but after reading a recent warning from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife, I'm a little glad I don't have any yet. It seems with all the extra black bear sightings around the area, comes the warning that these big guys are going after chickens and destroying coops to get to them. ...

The weather has gotten warm quick and it's no surprise that winter's hibernating animals are waking up and looking for food. In fact, bears are reportedly everywhere these days with sightings being reported all across Rhode Island and Massachusetts...