Black bear seen wandering in Arlington and Lexington
ARLINGTON - Arlington public schools delayed the start of classes by one hour Monday morning because of bear sightings in town.
Just before 6 a m. police said they were looking into a "possible black bear sighting" in the area of Scituate Street at Spring Avenue. About an hour later, they said the bear was last seen "in the area of Paul Revere Rd and Park Ave."
"Please use caution & report any sightings immediately," police tweeted.
Moments later, Arlington schools superintendent Elizabeth Homan sent out a message to families and staff about the delay.
"The town is working on sending a shelter in place message now. Residents should stay inside until further information is available," Homan said. "Please be watchful for updates over the next few hours."
Police officers were at schools Monday morning as a precaution while environmental police tried to find the bear.
Just before 2 p.m., what is believed to have been the same bear was spotted at Wilson Farm in neighboring Lexington.
Two workers at Wilson Farm were in the fields when they spotted the bear trotting five feet away from them. No one has ever seen a bear at the farm.
"This is amazing nothing like this ever happened at the farm," said Wilson Farm employee and veteran Jimmy K. "It was a baby bear but a pretty good size. We were right here, and he just walked by like, 'how you doing?'"
"I know it probably could have mauled me, but I think in the moment of actually seeing it in real life I was surprised that there wasn't any fear," said Wilson Farm employee Robbie Sampson.
The Lexington Police Department says the bear was also spotted around Pleasant Street. They are working with the State Environmental Police to locate the bear and urge people to stay way.
Police in Lexington said there are no reports of the bear showing aggressive behavior.
"Isn't it cool that we as human beings are out here in the real world, and we crossed a bear and it's making everyone happy that want to know so who's world is it really you know?" said Jimmy K.
Residents are asked to be aware of their surroundings and bring food sources such as bird food inside.
"I thought it was pretty cool. It's a little silly to shelter in place, because they're natural," said Arlington resident Kate Willis.
Kids at Brackett Elementary School seemed to take the alert in stride. When asked about the one hour delay, one girl said, "I got to watch TV."
"I wanted to go and catch it," another student told WBZ. When asked why, she said, "I don't know, to surprise my teacher."
"I thought it was just exciting to have an hour delay," her father told WBZ.
"It's a little weird but honestly it's their natural habitat so we shouldn't hurt them," another girl said.
A black bear was seen in Newton Highlands near Cold Spring Park Sunday. It's not known if this is the same bear.
If you happen to see the bear, leave it alone, and report the sighting to your local police department.