A bear spotted in Hanson, Massachusetts, in the summer of 2023.
The bear that had been raiding livestock in Hanson, Massachusetts, was killed by a bow and arrow last week, officials confirmed Thursday.
The bear, known as Pumpkin by some of the more welcoming locals, was legally taken by a bow hunter last week, according to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. The agency and Hanson police had previously announced that the bear needed to be euthanized after it attacked livestock in the area, killing some goats in barns.
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Pumpkin will be one of the roughly 200-300 bears black bears killed by licensed hunters during the regulated hunting season. Biologists found that the bear reported killed in Hanson was likely the one who'd been attacking local livestock, based on photos and witness reports, according to MassWildlife, though another bear is believed to still be in the area.
The hunting season helps control the black bear population in Massachusetts, which has grown past 4,500 and is expanding toward the Boston area, MassWildlife said Thursday.
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The search for Pumpkin began last month after it broke into a barn on Bayberry Road and dragged a goat off into the woods. The farm's owners told NBC10 Boston that their goats were locked securely inside the barn when the bear broke in.
“This one in Hanson is a pretty large bear, so they can get in through fencing into not super-secure structures if they wanna get into it for food,” said Jason Zimmer, the southeast district manager for MassWildlife, at the time. He noted that four or five goats had been attacked by bears this year.
Neighbors reported bear sightings this summer as well. Karma Warsheski, who's lived in the area for 27 years, said last month she hadn’t seen bears until the summer. Zimmer says neighbors were guaranteed to start seeing more bears in the future.
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Then, earlier this month, the bear killed another goat in a barn, prompting the decision to euthanize the bear, which had by then gotten the nickname Pumpkin, police said.
"We know people will not be happy with this decision," police said at the time. "We cannot just relocate a problem bear in this area. Residence should also be aware that there is more than one bear in the area. That being said, we cannot and will not take out a bear just because it is in your yard."
In order to avoid bears visiting the neighborhood, the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife recommends that residents remove bird feeders and secure their trash.
