See Video Of Black Bear Roaming Around Yonkers

YONKERS, NY — Officials confirmed they once again received reports of an unusual visitor to the third largest city in New York.

The Yonkers Police Department alerted the public on Monday afternoon, just a few hours before children were about to head out for trick-or-treating, that they had received reports of a black bear in the Lawrence Park neighborhood (area of Essex Place at Rockledge Road).

They advised residents who observed black bears near their homes to report the sightings to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Wildlife Line at 845-256-3098. If the black bear appears aggressive or exhibits threatening behavior, call 911.

While bears roaming around southern Westchester County might be rare, it is not unheard of.

Town officials in Greenburgh warned parents to tell their children to be careful on Halloween because a bear was seen on Fraydun Lane Saturday and Sunday. The bear was also spotted roaming around the neighborhood on the border of Ardsley, Ridge Road and Underhill. The person reporting it said the bear was likely in the woods, and the animal got into many garbage cans over the weekend. It also overturned patio furniture.

Earlier this year, in June, Irvington Recreation and Parks officials announced that a black bear and a cub were spotted in the Irvington Woods Park, near the Hermit's Grave.

In May, the Yonkers Police Department warned that they had received reports of one or more black bears sighted in the Fox Terrace area next to the Dunwoodie Golf Course. They said that the wild animal (or animals) retreated into the wooded areas without any incident. Several other bear sightings in Yonkers have been reported since.

In May of 2015, a black bear was spotted several times in Yonkers, near Desmond Ave. and the Bronx River Parkway, before finally being tranquilized and captured in a wooded area near Central Park Ave. The bear was then transported to the Cranberry Mountain State Park in Putnam County and released.

"A bear is nothing more than a large raccoon," Tom Koepf of the Department of Environmental Conservation told WABC-TV in 2015. "If there's food out they're going to eat it, they're just scavengers."

The best way to keep bears from entering a yard is to remove any sort of food, public safety officials say. Even bird feeders should be removed by April 1, according to NYS DEC recommendations. Garbage cans should be emptied frequently and kept clean. Compost piles should be moved as far away from houses as possible. Grills with leftover grease can also attract bears, officials warned.

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) advises that bears will only be encouraged to leave an area unless the bear creates a public disturbance, acts aggressively towards people or pets, attempts to enter homes or is injured and cannot move freely to escape.

Yonkers police also provided helpful links to find more information about black bears, reducing human-bear conflicts and black bear encounters.

SEE ALSO:

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