AUBURN, Calif. — A furry trespasser continues to run around an Auburn neighborhood weeks after originally being spotted. Neighbors are concerned it's not being taken seriously enough.
While safety officials have said a young black bear could be harmless, some wonder how much longer it will stay in their neighborhood.
The bear remained near Ashford Park about 50 feet up in a tree, Wednesday.
“[We] call him Little Bear,” said Joan Levy, who lives near the park. “He is cute. He is frightened.”
Over the past week and a half, the bear has tried its best to stay away from people. But Levy says one animal may have been its victim.
“It was a big rabbit. [Little Bear] took the cage, turned it over and got the rabbit and ate it. Climbed up the tree,” said Levy.
The owner of the rabbit was not available for comment and ABC10 could not confirm if the bear had killed the rabbit.
Ann Bryant, executive director of the Bear League in Lake Tahoe, says this bear is likely a yearling that separated from it's mother in May or June, and now has to fend for itself.
She says people shouldn't be afraid, but also shouldn't be too friendly.
“This is the time to make or break that bear,” said Bryant. “Say, ‘you get out of here,’ ‘go on,’ ‘get up.’ There's plenty of food out there for him. He's just trying to find an easy way to make a living. Don't make it easy for him... 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.
Bear experts say the best outcome is for the bear to wander back out and away from homes.
“We are telling everybody in the neighborhood to keep their dogs in, kids in unless you're out there with them,” said Levy.
Some others worry if the situation continues to be neglected, something far worse could happen that is preventable.
Auburn police has said they are aware of the bear but ask people to only call 911 if the bear is attacking you.
