New York Woman has a Buffet for Bears Outside Her Home

We all know someone that has an exotic pet, Snakes, Ferrets, and the occasional Hermit Crab. But one New York woman may have taken it a step too far. She is being charged with having black bears as pets or at least treating them like they were a dog or cat.

The NY Department of Conservation received a complaint about a woman in the Town of Hurley (part of the Catskill Park near Kingston) who was feeding black bears. And it was nearly a buffet she had set up.

Conservation Officer Jeannette Bastedo was dispatched to investigate the complaint. As she arrived, one bear was fleeing the residence, a mother and two cubs were in a nearby tree, and the large male in the picture was on the deck enjoying a meal.  The officer used her vehicle's siren to motivate the bear to leave the deck and went to investigate.

The woman had spread out several large bowls of sunflower seeds along with several large containers of water. Officer Bastedo explained it was illegal to feed bears and extremely dangerous for her and surrounding homeowners. The woman claimed to be feeding the bears so they wouldn't enter her home.

SOURCE: NY Department of Conservation

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