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Black bear spotted in Sandy Springs
It is an unusual sight for a black bear to be inside the Sandy Springs city limits. What state wildlife officials believe is the reason for the bear's visit to metro Atlanta.
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. - A lot of Sandy Springs homeowners are fascinated to get a firsthand glimpse of a black bear hanging out in their community. But many people are also nervous he's here to stay. One homeowner and her daughter said they saw the bear hanging out at their house for hours.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources believes this is one bear coming and going throughout the community. So far, there have been dozens of calls from residents reporting seeing the bear. Experts believe he came down from north Georgia after larger bears chased him from the area and right now he’s just looking for a new home.
It is an incredible sight and one metro Atlanta residents don’t often see especially in the city limits but apparently, it has become an all too common sight for Sandy Springs residents. For weeks now, homeowners have flooded social media posting videos of bears they are seeing along the road and in their yards. Jenny Bailey was at her mother’s house on Heards Ferry Road last week when she spotted the big guy.
"There’s a damn bear in our front… our backyard. ‘Mom, come here, check this out,’" Bailey recalled laughing about the encounter.
She had followed all the postings about the bear but couldn’t believe her eyes when he was in front of her.
"She feeds the deer, she feeds the bird, she feeds the possums, raccoon, and the fox, we’re talking daily. So, I’m thinking this is a regular Disney film going on here every day. And kept teasing her, ‘That bear’s going to show up in your backyard.’ And then he emerged and I was like, ‘Dang bear showed up,’ she said. "So, yes, anyway, he proceeded to just have a field day at the birdfeeder."
Video shows the bear coming into the backyard, standing up on its hind legs, and going after one bird feeder after another. At one point, he decides to make himself right at home in the backyard. Bailey said he must have been lounging there for at least two hours.
"Crazy, really crazy," said Addy Moody who spotted the bear in her driveway off Brandon Mill Road on Tuesday night around 8 p.m.
Moody said as she let her dog out, she heard a sound she has never heard before. She had heard a bear was spotted two doors down and knew it was just a matter of time.
"I have never seen a bear that close except at the zoo, so I was a little shocked. I think he was more frightened of hearing my dog than my dog was scared of him. So, he just, when he heard my dog, he just scampered away," said Moody.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources believes the bear is about 125 to 150 pounds. Officials do say it is breeding season and the bear will eventually move back north. Officials advise homeowners to leave the bear alone and give him plenty of space. At the same time, make sure not to leave pet food out, take down any birdfeeders, and lock up the trash.
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