Sarah Gurland was one of several local residents who spotted a black bear (Ursus americans) on the streets of Cold Spring Wednesday evening, June 1. Gurland said she first saw the bear in the area of Furnace Street and Marion Ave. She took this photo from her car near the corner of Chestnut and Wall streets.
Sarah Gurland took this photo near the corner of Chestnut and Wall streets.
Sightings continued Thursday morning in Nelsonville and along Route 9D at the southern end of Cold Spring. According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) an average adult male weighs about 300 pounds while females average about 170 pounds.
The Rev. Shane Scott-Hamblen spotted the bear at St. Mary’s Church.
He is everywhere…
This bear knows where to go for acceptance.
This guy gets around!
Ours isn’t the only bear. They’re coming down for food after the mild winter and probably disrupted sleep. It’s happening here and all the way up to Maine. Check it out at Google.
For the sake of these beautiful animals in our midst, remember to keep your garbage cans locked up and bird and pet food stored securely inside where he can’t get at it. Once he learns there’s easy pickings around humans, he’ll be come reliant on the human food source instead of what he needs to find in the wild. Then he becomes a problem bear. Sadly, a fed bear is eventually a dead bear.
Maybe the bear is on the run for jaywalking? Just a thought. Winnie the Pooh on the run from the Hundred Acre Woods.