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Health & Fitness

Wild Life in Cumming

Normally the wildlife in Cumming is of the harmless variety, but when a mama bear brings her cubs to town, things get interesting.

Of all the things I thought I'd have to remind my kids of when sending them off to school, "Don't forget to watch for bears" was not one of them. The past couple of days I have been seeing bear pictures pop up all over my Facebook feed. A mama bear and her two little cubs have set up camp in Forsyth County. Seeing the pictures has been fun right up until they were just down the street from me. 
After a bear took a walk through my neighborhood this summer, I did a little research on bear safety. The good news is that black bears are not usually interested in people. This doesn't mean you can approach them (don't ever approach them!), but it does mean that if you don't bother it, it won't bother you. 
The bottom line is that they are looking for easy food. If we don't feed them, they will move on. Here are a few things to double check:
1. Empty your bird feeders. Bears love bird food. 
2. Take any and all pet food inside. Bears love dog food.
3. Maybe hold off on grilling out if you've had sightings nearby. Bears love a good barbecue. 
4. Don't have your trashcan out any longer than necessary and try to rinse out your recyclables so that they don't smell like food. Bears love recyclables. (okay, maybe not, but I had a theme going)
Just be smart about it, and enjoy the pictures friends are posting. 

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