Bears, wild turkeys invade Ararat

ARARAT, Va. — Wildlife has been in great abundance recently at locations in Ararat, particularly the home of Mary Dellenback Hill.

This did not include “lions, tigers and bears, oh my” from the classic “Wizard of Oz” movie, but most certainly bears and wild turkeys.

The noteworthy carousel of nature took place late last month at Hill’s cabin home, which included a mother bear pausing to look at the local resident through a door and appearing alarmingly close.

Hill thinks this could be the same animal that ventured to her home last year, due to a distinctive white “V” on its chest.

During that incident, the bear raided the woman’s bird feeders.

This time around, the furry creature was accompanied by two babies, with all three bears subsequently running from Hill’s yard into some nearby woods.

Bear sightings have been increasing across the Virginia-North Carolina region in recent years, which experts say is due to a growing population of the animals.

There also has been a larger residential footprint, meaning more opportunities for people to encounter bears at their homes as the animals become bolder and less fearful of humans.

This can be magnified if sustenance sources such as pet food, garbage or birdseed are available outside.

Wildlife experts advise residents to not feed or approach any bears that might wander into their midst, and also say it is a good idea to have bear-resistant trash cans and take down bird feeders.

Turkeys trot

Not to be upstaged by their ursine friends, turkeys also have made their presence known at Mary Dellenback Hill’s home in recent days.

Similar to the bears, a family or group affair was involved, with three turkey hens showing up in the yard and then trotting into the woods.

The wild turkey population once was threatened because of over-hunting and deforestation.

However, conservation measures have allowed a rebound to the point where turkeys now seem to be roaming everywhere, including cities, according to various reports.