Three bears walk into a Forsyth County subdivision and it is no joke.
There have been several bear sightings in south Forsyth and north Fulton counties over the past several weeks. According to state wildlife biologists, the appearance of the furry animals isn’t completely out of place.
But Cumming resident Jeff Adler wasn’t convinced when he saw a large black bear, followed by two cubs, as he drove through the Polo Golf & Country Club neighborhood last month.
“I’d heard rumors they were in the area, but I never thought I’d see them so close to my backyard,” said Adler, who has lived in the area for eight years. “This was a first.”
From the safety of his car, Adler snapped cell phone pictures of the trio as they crossed the street and hopped a fence.
“I could not believe what I was seeing,” he said. “But we do live in the foothills of the mountain, so in the back of my mind I knew it was possible. But it was still hard to believe.”
Don McGowan, a state wildlife biologist with the Department of Natural Resources, said the bears aren’t looking for trouble; they’re looking for food. And this year, there may be more sightings because of a shortage of their favorite fall snack: acorns.
“I’m not a forester, but I’ve been told the very wet spring may have affected the number of acorns available to them this year,” McGowan said. “And acorns are what they eat as they are getting ready for their winter dormancy period.”
Bears find plenty of substitute foods in the neighborhoods, McGowan said. Bird seed, pet food and household garbage make for good snacks.
Since bears are omnivorous, they will eat almost anything, but they do not pose the same risk to small pets as coyotes. And while there has never been an unprovoked bear attack on a human reported in Georgia, people should not intentionally leave food out for bears.
Georgia is home to approximately 5,000 bears, the majority of which live in North Georgia, according to the DNR. The southern end of their roaming range is in the north Fulton and southern Forsyth area, McGowan said.
Adler said he’d like to encounter the wild animals again, but in a safe way and preferably not during his morning run along Big Creek Greenway Trail in Cumming.
“I hear something while I’m out there and I’m looking left and right these days,” he said with a laugh. “I mean, while I’m driving around I’ve always been on the lookout for deer, but I guess now I’m looking for bear too.”
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