TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY • May 9, 2022
The black bear population in Massachusetts is continuing to grow and expand east of Interstate 495, according to Bay State bear researchers who urge people to take precautionary measures to avoid encounters with the powerful animals. There are now about 5,000 black bears that call the state home as the large mammal’s population has slowly increased over the last 50 years. “Having a good understanding of how this population is distributed is really useful for educating the community, and teaching people strategies to reduce the likelihood of a bear coming to their house.” MassBears has a bear sightings map.