Black bear sighted in North Phoenix neighborhoods
PHOENIX - A rare sighting in North Phoenix, as a young black bear was seen roaming the streets of Cave Creek and Anthem.
Several neighbors even managed to catch the black bear on camera. Now, some are concerned.
Arizona Game and Fish officials say it is not typical for a bear to come into the Valley, but it does happen on occasion. After the numerous calls they have received, two officers are now monitoring the area.
"Bears are being chased out of their territory by their parents, and they need to go out and find their own territory," said spokesperson Amy Burnett.
Sometimes, that territory happens to be in someone's backyard.
"Anthem is an area where if we're going to see a bear, this is where we will see them, or maybe they are searching for a water source," said Burnett.
One man didn't see the bear but, has a theory on why it might be coming to this area.
"There is a pond that has water right around here, so that's probably where it's headed," said the man.
Game & Fish officials say they have been monitoring the area after the bear was spotted a few days ago and then again, this morning. They are telling residents to be their eyes and ears so they can track down the bear, but hopefully, the bear will return to the wilderness on its own.
"It's doing what it's supposed to be doing: looking for new territory. The best thing people should do is not approach it, and absolutely do not feed it or put out water for it," said Burnett.
Another thing residents should do to help the bear go back into the wilderness is making sure they don't leave out their trash.
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