Small Bear Spotted in Easttown Township: Police

Easttown Township Police are reporting a bear was spotted last night in the township. According to police, the bear appeared around 10 p.m. on Highland Avenue and later on the train tracks near Devon Station.

The bear, according to police, is under 3 feet tall and weighs less 100 lbs., meaning it's likely a young bear. Police said the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Amtrak have been notified of the bear's presence.

Pennsylvania Game Commission Officer Matthew Johnson said the bear spotted is likely a young adult that has moved away from its mother and in search of a home and said it's likely the same bear seen earlier this week in Radnor Township as the Chester and Delaware county areas do not have high bear populations. Police in Radnor said a bear was seen on Sept. 10 near St. Davids and another sighting on the morning of Sept. 13 led to Ithan Elementary School being placed on lockdown

"All evidence lines up to one young adult bouncing around," Johnson said. Ideally, the game commission would trap or tranquilize the bear in order to relocate it to another part of the state, but due to the bear's roaming Johnson said relocating is an unlikely outcome.

Radnor Police offered several tips to help keep bears away from property including:

• Keep your dog on a leash if a bear is active in your area.
• Turn on outside lights and make noise when walking pets after dark.
• Keep your pet in the house after dark.
• Don’t leave small pets outside unless you are present.
• Feed your pets inside. If you must feed them outside, remove their dish and clean up afterwards.
• Store food and other attractants in animal-proof containers with locking lids.

If a pet is attacked, police urge residents not to approach the bear. Police said the best options to stop an attack are making noise, or spraying a hose or throwing objects at the bear from a safe distance. Owners should gather their pet and leave the area after the bear has fled. Police said after calling a veterinarian, owners should immediately call the appropriate state wildlife agency.

Police said no one should approach a bear or wild animal and should call 911 immediately when encountering a wild animal.

"This area is good for them," Johnson said of bears. He went on to say aside from the high human population, the area has a plethora of food sources in garbage, compost piles, and bird feeders, as well as interspersed wooded areas where bears can retreat to.

Johnson said archery season for deer begins Sept. 19 in Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Bucks, and Philadelphia counties and said archery season for bear runs almost concurrently with deer season.

"It's within reason that an archer deer hunter can see this bear and hunt it," Johnson said.

The attached photo is a Patch file photo, not a photo of the actual bear spotted in Easttown.