State officials have set traps for four bears in the Hanover area after two of the animals recently entered a home there. Once caught, the bears will be shot, according to Mark Ellingwood, Wildlife Division Chief for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.
Killing the animals is not the outcome the state had hoped for. But once a bear has entered a home, there’s little else officials can do, Ellingwood said. Bears that have become comfortable and aggressive around humans are likely to continue this behavior even if relocated.
Hanover Town Manager Julia Griffin says unsecured trash is largely to blame for the town's bear problems. “Students, in particular, who are not savvy homeowners or home maintainers are notorious for not being very good stewards of their trash,” she said. “The bears are having a heyday.”
Bird feeders around town have also attracted the animals. It’s not unusual to see bears in the area at this time of year, Griffin said, but these four – a sow and three yearlings – had recently become unusually aggressive in their search for food.
