Here's why Hanson police are warning residents about bears

HANSON − A bear attacked a herd of livestock Tuesday, dragging a small goat into the woods and killing it. The incident happened on Bayberry Road near Hanson Center, Police Chief Mike Miksch said.

Hanson police and state Environmental Police searched for the bear but couldn't find it. Authorities recovered the remains of the goat.

This isn't the first black bear encounter on the South Shore this year. Sightings have been reported in towns up and down the coast.

In June, Quincy police officer Jimmy Dalton saw a bear just before midnight in a wooded area behind BJ's Wholesale Club on Crown Colony Drive.

In August, a Kingston resident shot a bear that was attacking his goat. The bear escaped.

Sightings of a black bear were first reported in May as it traveled through Taunton, Fall River, Dartmouth, New Bedford, Acushnet and Marion.

Wildlife officials weren't sure if the sightings this year have involved one or more bears.

Officials are encouraging residents to learn more about bears and ways to protect their homes, beehives and livestock. The Massachusetts Wildlife page has more information on how to deal with bear encounters.

How many bears are there in Massachusetts?

American black bears – Ursus americanus, should it come up on trivia night – are endemic to North America. The National Park Service estimates 750,000 of them are in the U.S.

According to MassWildlife, the state's bear population is easily over 4,500, with an expected annual increase of 8%. The species has long been common in the central and western parts of the state and is slowly expanding east.

Despite the occasional appearance of black bears, which are the only bear species in the state, the South Shore is not considered part of their normal range.

Given the bears' overall population increase, they are listed as being of "least concern" for extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

While an exact figure for the Southeastern Massachusetts bear population may be hard to pin down, their presence is not new to the area.

A bear dubbed Boo Boo drew attention in 2021 as it made its way north from Wareham to the South Shore before returning to the South Coast, where it died after it was hit by a car on Interstate 95 in Marion on June 24.

Bear sightings continued into 2022.

"We kind of had this last year where we think three to five different bears at different points of the summer moved through different parts of Southeastern Massachusetts, so it's becoming a more regular thing," said David Wattles, a biologist for MassWildlife.

How do I keep bears away?

MassWildlife gave tips on how to prevent negative encounters with bears.

• Remove all food sources from your yard and neighborhood.

• Never intentionally feed bears.

• Avoid feeding birds; birdfeeders, suet and spilled seed attract bears.

• Clean barbecue grills and grease traps.

• Avoid using open compost.

• Never leave trash bags outside.

What do I do if I encounter a bear?

• Talk to the bear in a calm voice.

• Slowly back away from the bear; do not run.

• If the bear makes contact with you, fight back.

Patriot Ledger reporter David R. Smith contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Black bear kills and drags goat into woods in Hanson