Black Bear Shot And Killed After Threatening People All Summer
FITCHBURG, Mass. (CBS) – Environmental Police shot and killed a black bear that has been causing problems in the Fitchburg area all summer.
Environmental Police were called Friday afternoon when the bear began following and acting aggressively with three men playing disc gold in Coggshall Park in Fitchburg.
Police chased this bear around Auburn over the summer.
Fitchburg Police shot the bear, which then ran off into the woods. An Environmental Police officer tracked the bear and shot him when the bear threated the officer.
The bear was a 2-year-old, 225-pound male, which had been relocated to the woods in Auburn in May 2018. However, over the summer, the bear – named 299 – began following people and showing a lack of fear of humans. In early September, the same bear chased a woman hiking in Fitchburg. The bear was also seen roaming around by the Mass Pike in Auburn in July.
Environmental Police said the bear's behavior is consistent with being fed by humans in the past and urge people to no feed bears, remove bird feeders and secure trash. The Massachusetts Department of Fisheries and Wildlife has tips for living with bears on the state's website.