This letter is in regard to the TV ads regarding nuisance bears. Every year in the spring due to lack of food, the state receives over 300 calls regarding nuisance bears in the area. This year is no exception. The state advises people to remove their bird feeders, garbage and any other food substance from areas close to their homes. This was the case in Bridgton where a bear was seen near the school. As for the bear that attacked the teen, the boy was taking pictures and should not have been so close to the bear as there were cubs nearby. The boy was not aware of the cubs, but still a bear is a wild animal not to be reckoned with as the youth soon found out.

Families are moving closer and closer to the bear habitat but are upset when they see them in their backyard. The bears are so used to having food given to them in hunting season that they come looking for it in the spring when they are coming out of hibernation and are very hungry. Eliminating the baiting will allow the bears to survive with food from the forest and less likely to prowl into towns for food.

Corinne Rea,

East Livermore