State officials offer tips after bears sighted near Rhode Island homes

(WJAR) — Multiple bears wandering on yards were caught on camera in Rhode Island.

A Coventry man caught this black bear roaming his front yard Thursday night.

“It was definitely a surprise to see a bear on our front porch,” Josh Dominikoski said.

An unlikely guest was spotted on Dominikoski’s front porch.

“We kind of opened the door a little bit and he ran off,” he said.

A black bear was caught on camera simply minding his own business.

“He triggered our side camera and that kind of spooked him,” Dominikoski said.

The bear slowly creeped around the Coventry home.

At one point, the bear even made direct eye contact with the camera, looking seemingly unfazed.

Dominikoski said after 20 years living at this home, he’s never seen anything like this.

“It was interesting to be able to see it in person up close like that – once in a lifetime experience,” Dominikoski said.

Another bear was sighted in Charlestown on a woman’s backyard overnight.

Robin Cichy in Charlestown shared video with NBC 10 of another bear sighting, this time in her backyard.

“I thought it was very close to the house and it looked like a pretty good size,” Cichy said.

She shared photos of a possible print left behind, and her bird feeder crushed.

Likely left the bear on the prowl for a late-night snack

“We walk our dog out in the yard so it’s a little concerning. When we do go out, we make a lot of noise because we don’t want to surprise him,” Cichy said.

This type of behavior is normal for bears, according to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.

The agency encourages homeowners to secure all food or trash, and remove bird feeders when bears are active.

If you see one, back away slowly. Make yourself big and loud if things get grizzly.

“It’s pretty frightening, you don’t expect that to happen so close to your home,” Cichy said.