Police are searching for a black bear that’s been roaming through Bucks County over the past few days. NBC10’s Matt DeLucia speaks with residents about their close encounters.
A black bear roaming through the woods and backyards in Bucks County over the past few days has been caught.
The wayward bear was caught in a trap and turned over to game wardens, Falls Township Police Department Chief Nelson Whitney told NBC10 Wednesday morning.
“It’s a relatively young bear by its appearance,” Whitney said. “About 150 pounds.”
One Yardley resident, who did not want to give his full name, told NBC10 he heard the animal in his backyard Monday night.
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“A birdfeeder I hung from the tree was on the ground so we looked at the video and saw the bear took the feeder down and eat the contents of the birdfeeder,” he said.
Michelle Coyle, another Yardley resident, told NBC10 she had people over for Memorial Day around 7 p.m. when they spotted the animal near Dolington Road and Quarry Commons Drive.
“My friend looked at me and said, ‘I know I had a few drinks but is that a black bear?’ And it was,” Coyle said. “Going across the yard and moseying along.”
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Tuesday morning, a bear was spotted more than seven miles away from Coyle's home. Chief Whitney believes it was the same bear.
“We’re in Pennsylvania and there are bears in Pennsylvania although there’s speculation this bear may be from New Jersey,” he said. “I’m no bear expert, but the game commission thought it might have come from New Jersey, so maybe it’s trying to get back home. It’s hard to say.”
Chief Whitney told NBC10 police walked around with the game commission and set up a trap where witnesses saw the bear roaming a parking lot off Makefield Road.
“Right past my window, casually strolling into the woods,” Amy Linn, another witness, told NBC10.
The bear was spotted once more Monday night in the woods off Route 1.
“I think most people are used to seeing deer and coyotes and foxes so it’s not unusual,” Steve Coyle of Lower Makefield told NBC10. “But seeing a bear is a different experience.”
