Where the bears are

[fbhjr]

The foxes and turkeys near where I work have me thinking about bears.
According to the state wildlife department, something like 5,000 bears live
in Massachusetts. But, I’ve never seen one in the wild.
Yes, they’ve been seen in my town. They’ve been seen in all the towns
around where I live. My mother in law used to see them running through her
yard about an hour away from where I live.
So, I know they are there.

The state has 10,555 square miles (27,336sq km) of space. If there are
5000 bears that only works out to about ½ a bear per square mile. (.2/kmsq)
(I think the bear in question must be straddling the line to the next
square mile to fit in that way. And, standing on the 4 way corner of the
square km. But, I digress.)

Of course there are a lot more humans. 6,646,000 at last count. Making
629.7 humans per square mile or 243.1 per square km.
That’s a lot more crowded.
That makes it 1329 people for every bear.

Of course even though we are the 7th smallest state we are the 3rd most
crowded. So, not really a surprise.

The bears probably just blend in with all of those people. Especially in
winter. Put on a hat and a big coat and I bet they could ride the subway
with only a few strange looks. They couldn’t go into restaurants without
putting on shoes, but they could do most other things just fine.
I’m guessing that every 1330th person is really a bear in disguise.