Black Bear Wanders Into Northern MI Beach Town

LUDINGTON, MI — A black bear wandered into a northern Michigan beach town Thursday morning and caused quite a bit of chaos, according to police.

Police found the bear just after 8 a.m. when it was north of U.S. 10 in the area of Tinkham and North Sherman and was headed north to the Ludington School Forest in Ludington.

Later, the bear was seen in the area of Staffon and Mitchell, also north of the highway, before making its way into the downtown area, according to police.

Videos and photos posted to social media showed the bear roaming the downtown areas.

The bear also climbed a tree, prompting officers to shoot pepper balls, which contain small amounts of pepper spray that can drive animals away from the smell, according to 102.7 WMOM, who livestreamed the search for the bear.

Officers chased the bear for more than three hours through downtown before it safely retreated into a wooded area southeast of Ludington around noon, according to the livestream.

"[The bear] was walking around for about an hour," Ludington City Manager Mitch Foster told Fox 17. "Just kind of meandering around, really this part of the community for about an hour."

Ludington Police were assisted by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Michigan State Police.