Dash Cam Video Captures Bear Crossing Road

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It seems as though Georgia’s black bear population is making a more frequent appearance throughout metro Atlanta’s northern suburbs.

The Johns Creek Police Department on Monday posted a video on its Facebook page, which shows a small bear running across Jones Bridge Road.

Capt. Chris Byers, spokesperson with Johns Creek police, said the video was recorded from a police cruiser Monday morning near the thoroughfare’s intersection with Waters Road. Fortunately, the officer behind the wheel of the vehicle was able to stop and allow the bear to safely cross the road.

“The bear seems like a cub and has not been reported to be aggressive,” he added.

Another resident shared a photo snapped of a black bear wandering around the driveway of a home off High Falls Pointe, which is near the location where Johns Creek police discovered the bear.

Johns Creek police also said they received several calls of a black bear seen crossing Webb Bridge Road, Ashley Oaks Drive and a location near 11080 State Bridge Road.

Police said the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has been called, but added the state agency will not intervene in capturing the bear “unless it becomes aggressive.”

If you come across the bear behaving in an aggressive manner, contact DNR’s Region 3 Game Management Office at 706-595-4222.

This latest bear spotting comes on the heels of another black bear making a brief appearance in the Estates at Hickory Mill neighborhood in Milton and another seen around Dunwoody Club Drive and Mill Shire Lane in Dunwoody.

In late April, a driver struck and killed a black bear on S.R. 92 near Settlement Drive in southwest Cherokee County.

In its alert to residents, the Milton Police Department posted the following tips on its Facebook page for residents to follow if they come across the black bear:

• Call 911 immediately;
• Do not try to approach or feed the bears;
• Keep children and pets from approaching;
• Do not surround or corner a bear; give them plenty of space; and
• Do not try to run from a bear – back slowly away and make lots of noise.

Additionally, to reduce your chances of encountering a bear on your property, DNR also encourages residents to: convert to bear-proof garbage containers, or secure garbage inside a garage or other enclosed area; place garbage cans at the curb on the day of pick-up rather than the night before (if there is no curbside pick-up in the area, take garbage to the nearest disposal site as soon as possible); in some cases, installing an electric fence around garbage storage areas may be useful to prevent bears from accessing household garbage; remove food scraps from grills and fire pits daily; rinse food cans and wrappers before disposal; keep garbage cans clean and deodorize them periodically; and concerning dumpsters, install bear-proof trash bins, attach reinforcing lids or install latch mechanisms.

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Photo credits: Johns Creek Police Department/Facebook