Bear Visits California Rite Aid: PHOTOS

BANNING, CA – No, this is not fake news. We promise. A bear actually did visit a Southern California Rite Aid store in the early morning hours of Thursday and was seen by several people in town, police confirm to Patch.

The bear was spotted on Ramsey Street in Banning at the 24-hour convenience store around 4:30 a.m., according to store employees and police. That's just off Interstate 10 but also not far from the foothills of the Banning Bench, which leads up to San Gorgonio Mountain.

"Officers did respond to a call for service about the bear at Rite Aid," Chief Alex Diaz told Patch.

Diaz said police contacted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, but the agency wasn't able to get there in time, "...so we just corralled the bear and escorted it back up the hill."

CDFW officials tell Patch that this incident is "not irregular" since the weather is getting nicer and the region is in close proximity to a known bear habitat. They don't believe there was anything wrong with the animal.

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Images courtesy: Yvonne DeLongchamp