Where Is The Wissahickon Bear?

The bear spotted near the Valley Green Inn in Philadelphia's Wissahickon Park has not been spotted for about a week.

There were other sightings as far away as Upper Dublin and even Tredyffrin Township in Chester County, a full 12 miles away.

So where did he go? Why is he moving through the suburbs?

The Friends of the Wissahickon, a conservation group that promotes and protects the park, spoke with a Pennsylvania Game Commission wildlife conservation officer recently to try to get to the bottom of it.

Here are a few highlights from their conversation with Jerry Czech:

Q: What do you know about bear behavior that may explain why the bear was moving from a forested area?

A: The bear was probably a young male born two years ago—a very big cub. Basically, his mom sent him out on his own and told him to find his own home. With so many wildlife trails and wildlife corridors in the area, the bear leaves home and starts walking, and all of a sudden, it’s in the Wissahickon and has a whole park to explore. May is always a typical nuisance month for bears for us. The bears wake up from hibernation in March and by May, they are out looking around. It’s typically the month where we see more bears on the move.

Q: When was the last time there were reports of a bear in Philadelphia?

A: I’ve been here for 17 years and this is the second bear I’ve seen in Philadephia. In 2013 we had one come down through Abington through Pennypack Park to below the Pennypack Environmental Center. It was in town for two or three days. We brought a trap to the place where it was hanging out and we set the trap with Dunkin’ Donuts. They are excellent bait for the bear. I had to go into the Dunkin’ Donuts and ask for a couple dozen stale donuts—I went back and brought in the bear trap to show them that I wasn’t just trying to get free donuts! We trapped the bear and transported it to a location above Allentown.

If you encounter a black bear, make a lot of noise and back away from it. Do not run or climb a tree. If you see a bear near Philadelphia, call 911 and the Pennsylvania Game Commission at 610-926-3136.

Image courtesy Friends of the Wissahickon.