Bear Sighted At Two Schools Near Cumming

CUMMING, GA -- A visitor spotted at two Forsyth County schools near Cumming on Monday definitely didn't have a hall pass.

A black bear was sighted by parents outside Sawnee Elementary at about 8:40 a.m. and then at Otwell Middle School at about 11:15 a.m., the Forsyth County News reports.

Jennifer Caracciolo, a spokeswoman for the school system, confirmed the reports.

School safety officers were alerted and they contacted the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Caracciolo told the paper.

Students were brought inside at the two schools, and at Cumming Elementary and Forsyth Central High, which are nearby.

The two schools are about a 3.5-mile drive apart. School officials say there's no way to be sure it was the same bear at both.

As the FCN notes, black bears are the only kind of bear found in Georgia. After being nearly eradicated in the state in the 1930s due to unregulated hunting, poaching and habitat loss, wildlife management has restored the statewide population to about 5,100, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

If left alone, the bears will typically return to a safer area, Adam Hammond, state bear biologist with the DNR's Wildlife Resources Division, told the paper.

"Unless there is evidence of aggressive behavior or habituation to people, there is no cause for alarm," he said.

To read the original report from the Forsyth County News, click here.

(Photo by Mickael Brangeon, via Wikimedia Commons)