WINTHROP, Maine (AP) — The warm weather is bringing out plenty of hungry bears around the state.
State officials say that in general, bear sightings have been running higher than usual.
The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife reports more than 400 bear complaints since the start of this year, about double the number of complaints at this same time last year.
District Game Warden Steve Allarie says the vast majority of complaints are related to bears getting into bird feeders.
State biologist Kendall Martin tells the Kennebec Journal that the bears are out looking for food and for mates.
There have been no reports of any aggression toward humans.
At least one bear has been spotted dozens of times in the Augusta area in recent days.
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- Pictured is Coplin, a yearling bear that weighed 23 pounds when found and captured in 2010 in Coplin Plantation and taken to wildlife rehabilitator Dawn Brown at Second Chance Wildlife Inc. in New Sharon. Warm weather has been bringing hungry bears out from around the state.
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