Is that dark shape outside your window a bear or just your imagination? As black bears move into new places and get closer to humans, the answer may surprise you. Are backyard bears dangerous, and when will they arrive in your town?

We also spy on a woodland meeting between five very different bears, all headed for YOUR house.

Dr. Tracy Rittenhouse, Associate Professor with the Department of Natural Resources & the Environment at the University of Connecticut, joins us to discuss wildlife in the exurbs, who’s thriving in our backyards and who’s not, while revealing the tiny menace that scares even people who work with bears.

Listen to “Bear-anoia,” and subscribe to “30% Wild” at www.thirtywildpod.com

• The most dangerous bears in North America, and how close they are to you.
• Why bears are moving into new areas
• Bears near people, in our yards, shopping centers, and even inside houses!
• Our common frenemy, Nature
• Storybook bears vs real life bears
• How common are bear attacks, and how to stay safe
• Will warmer winters stop bears from hibernating?
• A scary snake encounter
• How to stay safe from ticks in the woods, and why you want to
• Includes the original story, “The Five Bears.”