The department has advised residents to be vigilant and keep their garbage in a bear-proof bin or a locked shed, and to store their grills inside.
Bears in Maryland are most populous in four western counties Allegany, Frederick, Garrett, and Washington however in the coming months when the young, juvenile bears separate from their mother and find new territory, they can spread out all over the state, according to the news release.
The Wildlife and Heritage Service stated it is important to avoid man-made attractions for bears as it reduces the chance of “human-bear conflicts” as well as damage.
Between 2009-2019, there have been an average of 480 or more nuisance calls every year for bears as well as over $18,000 in agricultural damage, according to the Wildlife and Heritage Service.
How Maryland is working to vaccinate its homeless population
By TORI BERGEL of Capital News Service April 26, 2021 GMT
On March 5, 2020, Maryland’s first three positive cases of COVID-19 were confirmed.
On March 30, 2020, Gov. Larry Hogan issued a stay-at-home order, keeping residents from work or school, and setting in motion a new normal for the state of pandemic-related anxiety to which the world is still accustomed.
On Dec. 11, the Food and Drug Administration approved administration of the first coronavirus vaccine in the U.S., developed by Pfizer-BioNTech.
This month, on April 6, over a year from when the pandemic began, Hogan announced that all Marylanders over the age of 16 were now eligible to receive a vaccine.
Maryland officials trying to limit bear-human conflict
Associated Press 1 hr ago
As Maryland black bears emerge from hibernation, the state’s Wildlife and Heritage Service is warning people to keep food tucked away to avoid attracting them.
In March and April, the bears began leaving dens after a four-month hibernation, and are searching for food.
The bears’ natural food sources, such as berries or nuts, will not be plentiful until later in the spring and summer, so they might be attracted to nearby “human-generated food sources,” according to a news release from the Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources Wildlife and Heritage Service.
Opioid use, fentanyl deaths in Maryland spike amid pandemic
CALLAN TANSILL-SUDDATH of Capital News Service
April 27, 2021
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Preliminary data from 2020 reveals a dramatic increase in deaths linked with opioids in Maryland, particularly fentanyl; health officials blame the pandemic.
The number of unintentional intoxication overdoses those involving all drugs and alcohol rose 18.7% to 2,773 in 2020 from 2,379 in 2019, according to data collected by the Maryland Department of Health.
In more than 90% of cases, opioids were detected in bodies postmortem, the highest rate recorded in the state’s history of collecting this data.
While too early to formally determine the extent to which COVID-19 has influenced this increase, experts agree the pandemic is likely to blame for the widespread increase in drug use.
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