Bear captured in Hatboro, Pennsylvania, after multiple sightings, police say
HATBORO, Pa. (CBS) -- A black bear that was spotted multiple times in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania has been captured and will be relocated, authorities said this week.
The bear was first seen Wednesday morning near Farmstead Park in Upper Moreland Township, and police were asking residents to monitor security camera footage for any further sightings.
The bear was later spotted on Mill Road heading toward the nearby Hatboro Cemetery.
By Wednesday night the bear had been captured in a tree in a combined effort involving Hatboro and Upper Moreland police, the Upper Moreland fire department and the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
Upper Moreland police said the bear was healthy and unharmed. They estimated he was about three years old and 255 pounds.
Bear sightings in Pennsylvania: what to know
The Pennsylvania Game Commission says nuisance bear activity peaks roughly between May 1 and June 15.
This is the time of year, before breeding season, when bears tend to roam looking for food. They can follow scents from miles away, and that might lead them to possible food sources outside on your property, like a bird feeder or unsecured garbage, the Commission said.
Young bears are forcefully driven off by their mothers once they become yearlings and then leave looking for food. While females settle closer to their original home, males tend to roam farther.
Pennsylvania's black bear population was at one point "precariously low," but has since recovered -- but the resurgence creates the potential for more interactions with humans, a report from a state wildlife biologist says.
