Police: Black Bear Spotted Roaming Near Homes In Burnsville
BURNSVILLE, Minn. (WCCO) -- A black bear sighting in Burnsville has many in that area on edge.
The bear was spotted early Thursday morning, near 42nd and Lac Lavon Street.
A homeowner snapped photos as the black bear made his way through his yard. WCCO's Reg Chapman has more on the sighting. and what you should do if you see one.
"From the pictures I saw it's probably about a block, block and a half away from our neighborhood," Karen Gilman said.
Karen Gilman has changed her routine after learning a black bear was sighted near her Burnsville home.
"I'm not walking in my park because that's where it was seen, on my walking path, where I usually take a walk every day," Gilman said.
Someone spotted the black bear as he moved through a Burnsville neighborhood shortly before dawn.
"This isn't unusual this time of year for sightings. Typically they are young males moving out and looking for new territory," Bob Faschinbauer with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said.
Faschingbauer says this urban wandering bear is not alone.
"There was also one seen in Castle Rock Township last night, you know, which is not that far away and there was one seen in Hastings three days ago," Faschingbauer said.
The DNR is helping the average joe track black bear sightings.
"Go on the app on the DNR website and simply fill out the form, which is kind of putting the dot on the map where you saw it, and other people can go on their and track the bear activity," Faschingbauer said.
Faschingbauer says black bears are afraid of people and they just want to be left alone. If you happen to cross paths with one...
"The first thing you want to do is don't run. You want to walk, not run, and give the bear an escape route is the most important thing," Faschingbauer said.
Moving your garbage inside and removing pet food and bird feeders from your yard will help make your home less attractive to black bears. They mainly move about at dawn and dusk, finding a cool place to rest during the heat of the day.
Residents are encouraged to avoid the bear and provide the sighting info to the Minnesota DNR.