Feeding the fuzzy friends in your backyard? Seems cute, but it could become a headache

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The mother bear and cubs wandering Butler County have served as a reminder that we are back in that time of year.

Not only are bears emerging, but so are all sorts of other wildlife.

Black bears are not uncommon in our neck of the woods, according to the Game Commission, Wildlife.

"Be aware that bears are crepuscular and that's a fancy word that basically says they come out and they're most active in the early morning and in the evening," explained retired Game Commission officer Gary Fujak.

Fujak said that garbage is basically a bear magnet.

"Secure it somewhere and if you have bird feeders - bears will occasionally walk through your yard, it's best to take them down," he explained.

He said the birds would be fine and after a month, the bear would forget the feeder was even there.

So, let's get to the question I'm sure everyone is asking right now...what if a bear wanders into your neighborhood?

"You want to keep your distance," Fujak began to explain. "Stay in the house, pull out your phone, and start taking a video [and] take some pictures. Consider yourself lucky that you actually saw a black bear."

Also making appearances in your yard now - rabbits and squirrels in all their fuzzy cuteness, but let them be.

"No, you don't want to pick them up," he said.

Obviously, we all have that soft spot when we see a baby animal struggling, but Fujak said that they do not need your help.

"The parents will take care of them and raise them just fine," he said. "So, your interaction or your attempt to feed them isn't going to help them at all."

The no-feeding rule is across the board - no matter how cute Bambi might be.

"They're wild animals, they know the food sources that are available to them in the wild and they'll do just fine," Fujak explained. "They're not going to starve out there."

There's also another risk in all of this: the more you interact, the more the animals will lose their wariness of people and now you have a pest that won't go away. You've become a food source.

While that can happen even if you don't feed them, in those cases, make a lot of noise and yell at them you would your dog getting into the trash. Whether it's banging pots and pans, whatever it takes, discourage them.