LTCRN
NES Member
First it's the bad guys two houses away, now it's the 4 legged BIG creatures that are to close for comfort. Well prepared for both if necessary though!!!
Bruin spotted in Mansfield
MANSFIELD - Startled residents in a neighborhood near the Foxboro line reported a black bear wandering through their back yards Thursday night, prompting a quick response from police.
The report, believed to be the first sighting of a bear in the area in years, came about 8 p.m. near routes 140 and 106, not far from the Stop & Shop supermarket.
Residents living off Casa Drive reported the black bear scurrying through their yards. It was later spotted off Walnut Street.
"The call came in very distinct, there was a bear in a neighbor's back yard. They were right, it was a bear. There were two or three sightings," said Mansfield Police Sgt. Richard Brown, who also spotted the bear.
The sightings sent local police, including Police Chief Arthur O'Neill, and Massachusetts Environmental Police swarming the neighborhoods. "I saw him on the ground. He was going for a little walk in the neighborhood. It was absolutely a bear. He went into the woods," said Brown, who has hunted bear in Maine and was carrying a shotgun. "I know what one looks like."
The bear was about 80 to 100 pounds.
Brown said it was the first time he observed a bear in town in his 30 years here.
Residents were notified by the town's reverse 911 communication system, and the system was going to be activated again at 6 this morning.
"We are trying to tell them to leave it alone. If they see it, call us," Brown said. "We're just making sure we control it. All I was concerned about was the people in the neighborhood."
The location of the spotting was a surprise because there are no large wooded parcels in the area, major roadways are nearby and a shopping plaza with the Stop & Shop is only blocks away.
"It is kind of populated here," Brown said.
State environmental police weren't taken aback by the incident.
"It's wildlife. Nothing surprises you," officer Robert Forsythe said.
A bear was recently sighted in Norwood. "We have received sightings in Dover, Westwood and Norwood," Forsythe said, adding, "They go after people's bird feeders."
Shooting the bear with lethal bullets would be the last resort, the officer said.
"We usually try to haze it into some good woods," Forsythe said. "If it is near a road or heavily populated area, we try to tranquilize, if possible.
"Normally, that isn't done at nighttime," he said. "Sometimes they are still moving and you can't find them."
Black bears are common in Western and Central Massachusetts, numbering in the hundreds.
"Where are they going to go. Everything is being swallowed up" by development, Brown said. "They need food. We are coming more and more in contact with them."
Residents who observe the bear are advised to call local police at 508-261-7300 and state environmental police at 1-800-632-8075.
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Bruin spotted in Mansfield
MANSFIELD - Startled residents in a neighborhood near the Foxboro line reported a black bear wandering through their back yards Thursday night, prompting a quick response from police.
The report, believed to be the first sighting of a bear in the area in years, came about 8 p.m. near routes 140 and 106, not far from the Stop & Shop supermarket.
Residents living off Casa Drive reported the black bear scurrying through their yards. It was later spotted off Walnut Street.
"The call came in very distinct, there was a bear in a neighbor's back yard. They were right, it was a bear. There were two or three sightings," said Mansfield Police Sgt. Richard Brown, who also spotted the bear.
The sightings sent local police, including Police Chief Arthur O'Neill, and Massachusetts Environmental Police swarming the neighborhoods. "I saw him on the ground. He was going for a little walk in the neighborhood. It was absolutely a bear. He went into the woods," said Brown, who has hunted bear in Maine and was carrying a shotgun. "I know what one looks like."
The bear was about 80 to 100 pounds.
Brown said it was the first time he observed a bear in town in his 30 years here.
Residents were notified by the town's reverse 911 communication system, and the system was going to be activated again at 6 this morning.
"We are trying to tell them to leave it alone. If they see it, call us," Brown said. "We're just making sure we control it. All I was concerned about was the people in the neighborhood."
The location of the spotting was a surprise because there are no large wooded parcels in the area, major roadways are nearby and a shopping plaza with the Stop & Shop is only blocks away.
"It is kind of populated here," Brown said.
State environmental police weren't taken aback by the incident.
"It's wildlife. Nothing surprises you," officer Robert Forsythe said.
A bear was recently sighted in Norwood. "We have received sightings in Dover, Westwood and Norwood," Forsythe said, adding, "They go after people's bird feeders."
Shooting the bear with lethal bullets would be the last resort, the officer said.
"We usually try to haze it into some good woods," Forsythe said. "If it is near a road or heavily populated area, we try to tranquilize, if possible.
"Normally, that isn't done at nighttime," he said. "Sometimes they are still moving and you can't find them."
Black bears are common in Western and Central Massachusetts, numbering in the hundreds.
"Where are they going to go. Everything is being swallowed up" by development, Brown said. "They need food. We are coming more and more in contact with them."
Residents who observe the bear are advised to call local police at 508-261-7300 and state environmental police at 1-800-632-8075.
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