Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
Two wildlife items of particular local interest were reported in the July 5 Environmental Conservation Police on Patrol, released by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
Nuisance Bear – Washington County. “On June 21, ECO Kelley received a report that a black bear broke into residence in the town of White Creek and destroyed the owner’s kitchen, apparently in search of food.
“While Officer Kelley was at the residence reviewing photos of the bear, the animal returned to the yard and became aggressive.
“DEC wildlife experts provided technical advice to ECO Kelley based on the information he provided and advised that the bear would need to be put down humanely due to it associating the residence as a food source and displaying aggression to humans.
“DEC Bureau of Wildlife employees set a culvert trap, which caught the bear the following morning. The bear was successfully euthanized to prevent any further unsafe interactions with humans.
“DEC encourages residents to keep food attractants away from areas accessible to wildlife and reminds the public not to approach bears and to practice the ‘BearWise basics’ to help reduce the potential for negative interactions.
“To report a human-bear conflict, even after following the BearWise basics, contact ECOs or a regional DEC wildlife office for guidance/assistance.”
Wayward rattlesnake
“Right Place, Right Time – Warren County” headlined another item in the report.
“On June 20, ECOs Thibodeau and Kelley were attending a training course in Lake George on the safe handling of rattlesnakes when they received a call reporting a rattlesnake had made its way into the common area of a local hotel on the lake, just five minutes away from the training site.
“The Officers responded to the location, successfully caught the young timber rattlesnake, and relocated it into the wild. Lake George and the South Bay area on Lake Champlain contain a large breeding population of timber rattle
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