CATSKILLS – Hardly a day goes by that a police agency in the Catskills and many parts of the Hudson Valley don’t receive a report of a bear wandering into a residential area.

They are often lured to them by the smell of food, coming from homes or garbage cans and the DEC’s Gene Kelly said make no mistake about it, they are dangerous.

“We’re not talking about Winnie the Pooh here; we’re talking about live, wild animals that can grow quite large,” he said. “Adult male bears can easily 300 or 400 pounds or even larger; they are powerful animals. They don’t look to us as friends, even though they look cuddly and cute. They view us as nothing more than a potential source of food.”

Kelly said keep garbage can lids on tight, don’t stock bird feeders in the summer, turn off kitchen exhaust fans immediately after cooking, and if you are barbequing, be sure to clean off the grill after use and close the lid.