Bear sighted in Banksville Park

A 150-pound bear was spotted by at least four people in Banksville Park this afternoon.

Three young men and another person walking a dog reported that the bear ran when they encountered it in a wooded area around 1 p.m., said Gary Fujak, wildlife conservation officer for Pennsylvania Game Commission in western Allegheny County.

Mr. Fujak, who came out to the park when the sighting was reported to police, said the bear is most likely a yearling black bear, recently pushed from its mother's territory and looking for a place to call home.

"I think it'll keep a low profile until later in the day and start moving again," he said.

The wooded area is near a baseball field and tennis court and the park is surrounded by homes, but Mr. Fujak said the bear's behavior indicates that there's no reason for residents to worry.

"There's no threat to the local population from this bear," he said.

If the bear reappears the game commission will try to scare it up a tree, tranquilize it and then relocate the animal at least 100 miles away.

He said attempts to trap the bear would be futile unless it is seen more than once or near food sources, which could indicate that it's taken up residence.

He has no idea where the bear might have come from.

There are 15,000 bears in Pennsylvania and about 1,200 complaints about them every year.

Less than 25 people have been injured by bears since 2000 and no one has been killed by a bear in the state since at least 1900, when officials began keeping records.

The first bear killed in Allegheny County during a legal hunting season since the state began keeping records in 1949 happened just last year.

Although sightings are uncommon in the county, Mr. Fujak said there are usually a few every year.

A bear was already spotted in Shaler earlier this year, but the game commission never found it.

Sightings are more common in rural regions, like Indiana, Somerset and Westmoreland Counties.

Mr. Fujak advises anyone who sees the bear not approach it, stay a safe distance away and call 911 or the game commission at 724-238-9523.

First published on April 18, 2012 at 1:40 pm