Dartmouth Woman Thought She Spotted 5 Bear Cubs, But Were They Really Bears?

DARTMOUTH (WBSM) — A Dartmouth resident took a walk through the woods this morning and encountered what she thought might be five bear cubs – but wildlife experts are saying that likely wasn’t the case.

A Shocking Discovery on the Dartmouth Trails

The resident was walking on a trail at the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust’s Frank Knowles-Little River Reserve this morning when she happened upon the supposed bear cubs.

“I was walking some dogs, and there was a noise to the left of us. When I looked, three black, fuzzy creatures quickly climbed up some trees,” said the resident, who asked to remain anonymous. “And then another two, off in the distance, one of which froze on the tree, and I was able to see its face, which looked like a bear.”

Mass Wildlife Biologist Weighs the Odds

Dave Wattles, Black Bear & Furbearer Biologist for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife, said they probably weren’t bear cubs.

“It’s highly unlikely, but you never know,” he said. “I haven’t had any reports down that way.”

READ MORE: Was It Really a Bear in the Dartmouth Woods?

Wattles also had a very interesting statistic when it comes to bear cubs in Massachusetts.

“We’ve only ever documented five bear cubs on one or two occasions in the entire state,” he said.

That would mean the Dartmouth sighting would basically double the number of bear cubs spotted in the Commonwealth.

Fisher - Martes pennanti

Bear Cubs or Fisher Cats?

Upon later reflection, the resident wondered if what she saw were actually fishers, which people sometimes incorrectly refer to as “fisher cats.”

READ MORE: Fishers on the SouthCoast – What You Need to Know

“Fishers have bear-like faces too, so I can’t be positive,” the resident said. “All I know is, I got the dogs I was walking back on their leashes and ran like hell in the opposite direction.”

The resident said she couldn’t be certain because she’s never seen a fisher and has never seen a bear in the wild – nor did she want to.

“My thought was, if they were bear cubs, I didn’t want to run into the mother,” she said.