Bear Shot In Downtown Nashua

NASHUA, NH — Nashua police said officers were forced to shoot a bear that appeared in a densely populated section of downtown near Holman Stadium Monday night. Police called the incident unfortunate and stated some bystanders acted "irresponsibly" by following the bear too closely, creating a dangerous situation for all involved. The shooting happened on Amherst Street.

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Nashua police Lieutenant Thomas Bolton said at about 9 p.m., several people called 911 and reported seeing a large, adult-size bear. Officers found the bear on Amherst Street near Merrimack Street, with a group of people following it around. At about the same time, the Nashua Silver Knights baseball game at Holman Stadium had ended and people were filtering out in the area of the bear, Bolton said. The bear ended up cornered and Bolton said officers decided to euthanize the animal by shooting it.

"It was an unfortunate situation," Bolton said. He added that several people acted "irresponsibly" by following the bear too closely. In cases like this citizens are urged to call police and stay away from the animal, Bolton said.

This was the first bear sighting in downtown Nashua in recent memory. Bears are active in the region this time of year, as it is the middle of their mating season. On Sunday, a motorcyclist struck and killed a bear cub in the middle of the road in Littleton, Massachusetts. There have been several more bear sightings in that region over the last few weeks.

State officials provided these tips for preventing conflicts with bears:

• Avoid filling bird feeders: Bears that find a bird feeder will often revisit that site, month after month, year after year. Bird feeders, bird seed, corn and other bird foods can draw bears into closer proximity to people and often result in bears losing their fear of people.
• If you see a bear in your yard: Make noise by banging pots and pans, shouting, or using an air horn to try to scare the bear off. Once the bear has left the area, take a close look at your yard for potential bear food sources such as bird feeders, pet food, dirty barbecue grills, open compost, or trash and remove the food sources immediately.
• If you come face to face with a bear: Remain calm, talk to the bear in a calm voice (try ‘hey bear, hey bear”) and slowly back away and leave the area. If a bear approaches or follows you, make yourself look bigger by putting your arms above your head. Continue to repeat “hey bear” in a calm voice and back away and leave the area while monitoring the bear.

Related:

• Bear Cub Hit By Motorcycle In Littleton
• Black Bear Spotted In Wayland
• Black Bears Spotted In Concord

Photo: Shutterstock