A bear has been moving through parts of Montgomery County, prompting authorities to urge residents to stay alert. The animal has been spotted across Towamencin Township and Lansdale over the past day.
Officials placed its last known location around 11 a.m. near the 2200 block of Berks Road in Lansdale. The state game warden believes the same bear is behind multiple sightings across the area and is asking the public to keep watch.
Police fielded several calls about the bear the night before. Officers caught a brief glimpse of the animal and snapped photographs before it vanished into the woods. Additional images captured the bear miles away, walking through a driveway beside a child’s playhouse.
The state game commission says the bear appears to be heading south. It first turned up near Detwiler and Gehman roads in Towamencin Township, then resurfaced a few hours later on Finch Run, before the mid-morning sighting in Lansdale roughly four miles away.
The sightings have put many residents on edge.
Carol Palermo, who walks along Detwiler Road almost every day, changed her routine after learning about the bear.
“I thought, ‘I’m going to be safe today,'” Palermo said. “Just walk along the sidewalk, carry my cane.”
Others in the neighborhood are asking harder questions about the animal.
“How big is the bear? I have more questions,” said Towamencin Township resident Tasha Holmes.
Wildlife officials believe the bear is young and likely separated from its mother recently, which commonly happens this time of year.
Police are asking anyone who spots the bear to call it in. Officials plan to trap the animal and move it to a safer location.
Holmes says the situation still feels unsettling, even with reassurances that the bear may not be aggressive.
“So, not necessarily a scary bear, but still a baby bear. But still, that’s unsettling. I have a dog and a child; I don’t want either one of them to go missing permanently. So, yes, it’s scary,” she said.
Authorities are continuing to monitor the situation and are advising residents to stay alert until the bear moves out of the area.
Leave a Comment