AUBURN, Calif. — Neighbors in Auburn have been reporting a trespasser in their backyards and in their trees. There have been multiple sightings of a young black bear in an area spanning several blocks near Ashford Park.
"It was just kind of roaming around, trying to get over a fence, I think," said Tim Souza, who captured a photo of the bear along the side of the road.
He said it was about the size of a large dog.
According to Ann Bryant, executive director of the Bear League in Lake Tahoe, it's likely a yearling bear that separated from it's mother in May or June, and now has to fend for itself,
"We don't want people to be scared," said Bryant, adding the bear is likely not a threat to people.
"We encourage people to be very territorial, yell 'Get out of here! Go on!' These beers are big wimps. They're not grizzly bears. They're not polar bears. They're not dangerous," she added.
Though they may not be dangerous, they are hungry, and anything from garbage and bird feeders to pet ducks and chickens could be on the menu.
"This is the time to make or break that bear," Bryant said, adding that it's up to people to make sure it doesn't become reliant on people for food.
In the end, Bryant says the best outcome is for him to wander back out and away from homes.
"If everybody is tough on him and doesn't feed him and takes away the food, and he wanders back out, away from the homes and is a normal wild bear," said Bryant.
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