The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation warns hikers and others in rural areas that black bears are emerging from their winter dens.

Typically, DEC says, black bears are timid and will avoid all contact with humans. But bears will become a nuisance if they believe they can obtain an easy meal from bird feeders, garbage cans, dumpsters, barbeque grills, tents, vehicles, out-buildings or houses.

It’s in the best interest of both bears and people if bears get their food solely from wild sources. Once a bear learns to associate certain human-occupied places with food, it can become a serious nuisance to people and a threat to itself. Bears that lose their natural fear of humans are much more likely to be destroyed under a DEC nuisance permit.

Once a bear becomes a problem, DEC is often asked to relocate the bear. But DEC says bear relocations are rarely effective at solving the problem. Bears are extremely mobile and have excellent homing abilities. Relocated bears often return to their original capture sites or simply continue their bad habits at a new location. if the circumstances that led to the original problem are not corrected, other bears will quickly be attracted to the site and the bear/human conflicts will persist. the simplest way to avoid a nuisance encounter is to remove all food sources.

DEC says bear problems can be minimized by taking these simple precautions:

• Never intentionally feed bears.

• Stop feeding birds as soon as the snow melts; clean up all seed fragments and shells left over from winter feeding as the smell will attract bears.

• keep garbage secured; keep garbage in cans inside buildings whenever possible; sprinkle ammonia inside the garbage bag before closing. if garbage is picked up at the curb, put the garbage out just before the scheduled pickup or place it in a roadside bear-resistant container. Do not put garbage out the night before pick-up at the curb.

• Do not burn garbage; it is illegal and attracts bears

• Feed pets indoors and store pet food indoors. if pets must be fed outdoors, take in all uneaten food and dishes before dark.

• When camping, keep food out of sight and secured in the trunk of a hard topped, locked vehicle if one is available. if a vehicle is not available, hang food and garbage from a tree at least eight feet off the ground. keep picnic tables, utensils, fireplaces and the surrounding areas clean.

DEC asks everyone to respect bears as wild animals -- from a distance.

For more information about bears, contact your regional DEC wildlife office or visit DEC’s website at dec.ny.gov.

Keep food away as black bears emerge from hibernation, DEC says

Some things have to be done prior to bringing home your pet ferret. The first one is selecting a proper ferret home. Ferrets spend a majority of their time inside their home so comfort and safety should be your prime concerns. A wide variety of ferret cages exist so shop around to ensure that it provides space for your ferret to play in. Check the cage to ensure that it is free of gaps that may catch the feet of your ferret and result in injury. Comfortable bedding is a must have for your ferret. With regards to cage bottoms, plastic is preferable to metal because they don't rust and they can survive being washed many times. Metal that is coated with plastic, is to be avoided since your ferret might suffer intestinal blockage if it is able to chew off enough plastic. Go for cages which have large doors as well as multiple layers. A variety of sleep gear like hammocks or sleeping sacks are good to have also since they will provide your ferret with many places to sleep or relax in. After all, ferrets are only awake for 4 to 9 hours daily. Of these waking hours, 2 hours daily must be spend outside the cage to ensure a happy ferret so a ferret proof room is a must to ensure your pet's safety.

Toys are essential in a ferrets life though there are toys that can put your ferrets life in danger. Choose carefully and ensure that the toys can stand up to the sharpness of your ferret's teeth. Toys for cats are excellent choices for ferrets too but avoid toys that are plastic or foam as they are not that durable. If you cannot be there to watch over your ferret, then you must ensure that there are no toys left in the cage. After all, should your ferret inadvertently eat a piece of its toy, it can result in an intestinal obstruction which may call for surgery. as members of the Mustelid family, ferrets have a strong odor and it is best for you to call a vet to neuter and de-scent your pet. Often these procedures can be done concurrently. be sure to read and follow advice of your vet for post procedural care. Vaccines and regular checkups are a must. Generally, kits would only have the first series of shots so it is your job to determine what was injected and when it was done. once the first series of distemper shots are done, only annual shots will be needed. Booster vaccines are also required.

Food is a critical component of ferret care so you must use only very good quality cat food or ferret food from sources other than frozen meat. ask for the brand of food your ferret was eating before and be sure to use that initially. If you wish, the ferret can be weaned off the old food but this is done gradually and not abruptly. Combine new and old food, using more of the old food first and gradually increase the proportion of the new to the old until your ferret has acquired the taste for the new food. Ferret snack are not required as they can lead to health problems later on. should you really have to give your ferret as snack, opt to give them cooked eggs and meat. Avoid treats with sugar.

From this summary, it is apparent that a ferret's arrivals home require a lot of preparation from the owner. following these suggestions will be very helpful to ensure the process is a smooth one. Your pet ferret will not only be healthy and safe, but he will thank you!

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