Potential bear sighting in Elgin County town surprises residents
CBC
Residents of Belmont, Ont., had a rare surprise when what looked to be a black bear wandered into town for a visit.
The animal was sighted last week on Kettle Creek Drive in the town southwest of London by a resident who took video footage of what appeared to be a bear climbing a neighbour's tree between 6 and 7 p.m. ET on Friday.
"It's a rarity down here in Belmont, although we've had reports in the surrounding areas of this happening," said OPP Const. Brett Phair.
Police were called but couldn't find the animal when they arrived at the scene. Phair said officers warned residents in the area about the bear, but no other sightings have been reported since Friday.
Despite the rarity of the sighting, Phair warns the bear sighting is still a possibility and anybody who sees one should take caution.
"Stay away from the bear and if you feel it's an emergency situation obviously dial 911 so we can respond to it appropriately," he said.
For any non-emergency sightings, he suggests contacting the OPP non-emergency line or reporting the sighting to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry through the BearWise program at 1-866-514-2327.
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