The bears are out and the Orono Police Department is warning residents that there are bears looking for a meal in your backyard.

The post specifically points out that a bear has been seen at Gilbert Street and roads around that area.  Commenters of the post are also seeing bears in many places outside of this area including many spots in Old Town.

According to the Humane Society, bears have an incredible sense of smell, in fact it is 7 times better than that of a blood hound's.  They also have the ability to remember where they have found sources of food in the past.

This makes for a clever creature that may like to visit time and time again if you have a constant source of food that they can scavenge.

It is also noted that each time they visit and are not scared away, they grow more and more comfortable with visiting their steady food source. This may be cute right now but, come late summer and fall, may lead to a problem when they start getting ready for hibernation and need to bulk up for a long winter slumber.

Here are some tips to help prevent bears from venturing into your backyard from humanesociety.com:

  • Make trash cans inaccessible. Bring them inside at night or buy a bear-resistant trash can or an enclosure for the container.
  • Enclose your compost pile. Open compost piles, especially those that include kitchen scraps, are an irresistible treat in bear country. Burying compost won’t work because bears will easily find and dig it up.
  • Recycle wisely. If you store recyclables outside, use enclosed bins. (Persistent bears will break into even ruggedly built bins.)
  • Keep your barbecue grill clean and as free of drippings as possible. Move the grill away from your house when you aren’t using it, and clean it regularly with ammonia or bleach.
  • Rethink your bird feeders. In the summer, birds can make do with naturally available foods. If you do set up feeders, install them away from your house.

If you need help with bears or other wildlife in your backyard contact the Maine Warden Service out of Bangor at 1-800-432-7381.

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