Bear spotted in southeastern York County

Residents in the southeastern part of the county have been calling 911 with reports of a black bear sighting.

[Observer]

Calling 911 because you see a bear? Leave it alone or they will wind up having to kill it.

[Steven C Johnson]

Most of those people have never seen such an animal before...you will just have to "bear" with them.

[Jeff]

Slow news day

[Grizzly Adams]

Hallam (aka Hellam) a 'metropolis'? Was he serious in that remark? It was probably just a huge groundhog......

[Grizzly Adams]

Jeff wrote:

Slow news day

they did end the article w/ "check back for updates".....this stuff is too good to even make up!

[A-Town King]

Its humphrey the bear from Jellystone park.

[Just Asking]

Just wondering, but did the bear $hit in the woods?

[Father of two]

Observer wrote:

Calling 911 because you see a bear? Leave it alone or they will wind up having to kill it.

Your worried about the bear? I was out walking with my family (fiance, our 3 year old and 6 week old)and this bear came out of the woods about 25 yards from us. While it wasn't big, about 100-125 lbs, my son was scared to death. My fiance and kids went inside. I called 911 and followed the bear with them on my phone for about 15 min. We (another neighbor and 2 friends of that neighbor) even had the bear trapped in a garage for about 5 minutes so the game commission could come and tranquilize it and release it somewhere else. They would not do anything about it!!!!!! The bear got out and continued on his way towards Red Lion. My concerns are this:
1) When a wild animal comes into your backyard who helps the public?
2) What happens if this animal attacks someone?
3) If any accidents happen as a result, couldn't they have stopped it in the first place?
4) God forbid, but what happens when it scares the heck out of someone, they run and get hit and killed by a car(this happened in Colorado Springs, CO. 2 weeks ago).

[robiam]

fyi - Black Bears SELDOM attach humans in PA ... most in PA are NOT THAT big and dont want to tangle with somethign as large as a human.

and Hellam and Hallam are TWO DIFFERENT places. One is a Borough and the other is a Township .. not "aka"...

[dunno]

Leave it alone. Bears do not normally attack people. They're more scared of you and they'll be the ones getting hit by a car. It'll end up being shot and killed with all the complaints. What do you think people do in places populated by bears? They leave them alone and enjoy their rare appearances.

Father of two wrote:

<quoted text>
Your worried about the bear? I was out walking with my family (fiance, our 3 year old and 6 week old)and this bear came out of the woods about 25 yards from us. While it wasn't big, about 100-125 lbs, my son was scared to death. My fiance and kids went inside. I called 911 and followed the bear with them on my phone for about 15 min. We (another neighbor and 2 friends of that neighbor) even had the bear trapped in a garage for about 5 minutes so the game commission could come and tranquilize it and release it somewhere else. They would not do anything about it!!!!!! The bear got out and continued on his way towards Red Lion. My concerns are this:
1) When a wild animal comes into your backyard who helps the public?
2) What happens if this animal attacks someone?
3) If any accidents happen as a result, couldn't they have stopped it in the first place?
4) God forbid, but what happens when it scares the heck out of someone, they run and get hit and killed by a car(this happened in Colorado Springs, CO. 2 weeks ago).

[YorkEatsCrap]

OMG a bear in Hellam!! Someone call the Associated Press!!

People in York County are so hicked up I'm surprised they didn't capture it and put it in another Jim Mack's exhibit or maybe eat it in stew somehow!!

[Bill]

1. Black Bears are live all around York County. They just avoid human contact.
2. Black bears seldom attack humans. It is Grizzly bears that attack and that is ONLY when THREATENED, Startled when a hiker wakes one up because they didn’t see it sleeping or protecting their territory.
3. Most of the black bears that are spotted in York County are juvenile male bears the mother pushed out of the den to be on their own.
4. Leave it alone do not chase it, do not feed it and it will move on.
5. Instead of wasting the police time and overburdening the 911 dispatcher call the PA Game commission and let them deal with it.
6. Educate yourself on bears and stay CALM.

[Jack]

Father of two wrote:

<quoted text>
Your worried about the bear? I was out walking with my family (fiance, our 3 year old and 6 week old)and this bear came out of the woods about 25 yards from us. While it wasn't big, about 100-125 lbs, my son was scared to death. My fiance and kids went inside. I called 911 and followed the bear with them on my phone for about 15 min. We (another neighbor and 2 friends of that neighbor) even had the bear trapped in a garage for about 5 minutes so the game commission could come and tranquilize it and release it somewhere else. They would not do anything about it!!!!!! The bear got out and continued on his way towards Red Lion. My concerns are this:
1) When a wild animal comes into your backyard who helps the public?
2) What happens if this animal attacks someone?
3) If any accidents happen as a result, couldn't they have stopped it in the first place?
4) God forbid, but what happens when it scares the heck out of someone, they run and get hit and killed by a car(this happened in Colorado Springs, CO. 2 weeks ago).

It's really hard to tell, are you being facetious? If you are, you're good. If your not, please find the nearest gun, put it to your head and pull the trigger.

[Jack]

Bill wrote:

call the PA Game commission and let them deal with it.

I agree with everything you suggest EXCEPT the above. Every call the PA game commission gets on black bears is ammunition (pun intended) to open a black bear hunting season in York County. Please don't call the PA game commission.

[Victor]

a bear walks around hallam and people respond with terror and panic. call 911, get inside, won't somebody think of the children? this is pathetic. its a bear, a very lost bear. its not godzilla attacking tokyo. thank god you people don't ever have to see a real emergency...like seeing three rabbits at one time in your neighbors yard!

[JimB]

I'm bettin' bear jerky by the weekend.

[Susbie]

Father of two wrote:

<quoted text>
Your worried about the bear? I was out walking with my family (fiance, our 3 year old and 6 week old)and this bear came out of the woods about 25 yards from us. While it wasn't big, about 100-125 lbs, my son was scared to death. My fiance and kids went inside. I called 911 and followed the bear with them on my phone for about 15 min. We (another neighbor and 2 friends of that neighbor) even had the bear trapped in a garage for about 5 minutes so the game commission could come and tranquilize it and release it somewhere else. They would not do anything about it!!!!!! The bear got out and continued on his way towards Red Lion. My concerns are this:
1) When a wild animal comes into your backyard who helps the public?
2) What happens if this animal attacks someone?
3) If any accidents happen as a result, couldn't they have stopped it in the first place?
4) God forbid, but what happens when it scares the heck out of someone, they run and get hit and killed by a car(this happened in Colorado Springs, CO. 2 weeks ago).

You live in New Jersey? Stay there with your comments and leave Pennsylvania to deal with it.

[Father of two]

I'm his fiance and I lived here for 24 years. Not once have I ever seen a black bear walking around in our busy town. This is not the mountains(where you would EXPECT to see a bear) this is Dallastown! Someone even made the comment that the bear would get "hit and killed first". Well, I sure hope that it's not your family that hits the bear and ends up injured. It's going to walk out on a busy road, shock someone, and going to cause an accident. So before you start saying leave the bear alone, maybe think of the lives it could take. And, we did not want the bear hurt but its seems as if the authority's would have the bear get hit, injured, and cause injury to someone else. And it all could have been prevented. That would be a sad situation. I sure hope your car does not get smashed up and that you kill the bear!

[Susbie]

Father of two wrote:

I'm his fiance and I lived here for 24 years. Not once have I ever seen a black bear walking around in our busy town. This is not the mountains(where you would EXPECT to see a bear) this is Dallastown! Someone even made the comment that the bear would get "hit and killed first". Well, I sure hope that it's not your family that hits the bear and ends up injured. It's going to walk out on a busy road, shock someone, and going to cause an accident. So before you start saying leave the bear alone, maybe think of the lives it could take. And, we did not want the bear hurt but its seems as if the authority's would have the bear get hit, injured, and cause injury to someone else. And it all could have been prevented. That would be a sad situation. I sure hope your car does not get smashed up and that you kill the bear!

Ditto on Jack from Allentown's response to you!!!

[Lived here all my life]

Father of two wrote:

I'm his fiance and I lived here for 24 years. Not once have I ever seen a black bear walking around in our busy town. This is not the mountains(where you would EXPECT to see a bear) this is Dallastown! Someone even made the comment that the bear would get "hit and killed first". Well, I sure hope that it's not your family that hits the bear and ends up injured. It's going to walk out on a busy road, shock someone, and going to cause an accident. So before you start saying leave the bear alone, maybe think of the lives it could take. And, we did not want the bear hurt but its seems as if the authority's would have the bear get hit, injured, and cause injury to someone else. And it all could have been prevented. That would be a sad situation. I sure hope your car does not get smashed up and that you kill the bear!

I agree- maybe some of you are used to bears being in our little towns...but I would rather them catch it and set it of in the woods somewhere NOT populated. Walking across the street in Hellam in front of a school bus? Who's to say it doesn't come back around when the kids get off at the next stop.
I don't want my kid out in the back yard w/o me being right at her now- not knowing if the bear decides to walk through our yard!!!!
Especially since it is probably going nuts with all the drama it's been through being stuck in town and not where it belongs.