Bear sighted in downtown Connellsville
CONNELLSVILLE – City police Chief Ed McSheffrey was not only attending to his routine duties of responding to calls for assistance on Tuesday, but he was also ridding the city of a small bear that had made its way into the business district. “It was just looking for food,” speculated McSheffrey. “Hopefully, it made its way back to the woods.”
The initial call received by the department stated that the bear had been sighted in the 700 block of Morrell Avenue, but eventually made its way down the West Side hill, past Wendy’s restaurant and then to the rear of Spotto’s hardware store, where it was spotted by McSheffrey.
Later in the afternoon, the animal was spotted again in the area of Fairview Avenue and South Arch Street.
An unidentified man said that he had just exited VFW Post 21 and was walking toward the intersection when the bear ran across Arch Street, the city parking lot, past the Connellsville Street Department building and into a wooded area.
“It was running pretty fast,” he said.
Several police officers responded to the call following the second sighting, but did not see it, said police Det. Lt. Steven Shaffer.
“It is on its way home,” he said. “It’s just scared.”
According to McSheffrey, bears occasionally make their way from the wooded areas of Casparis in South Connellsville Borough and Connellsville Township into the city at this time of the year.
“The city is not far from that area and the bear population is increasing,” said McSheffrey.
Last year, a 300-pound black bear was captured and tranquilized by the Pennsylvania Game Commission in South Connellsville as it roamed near Vista Avenue.
McSheffrey recalls a similar incident along Blackstone Avenue in the city and another found in a tree near South Side Grocer, along South Pittsburgh Street just a few years ago.
“They come down the river looking for food in bird feeders and gardens,” he said. “Plus, at about two years of age, their mothers throw them out.”
McSheffrey estimated the weight of the bear at about 130 pounds.
The general public, he said, should not approach the bears if one is found, but instead contact the local police department.
“Generally, they’ll run if they smell a human,” said McSheffrey. “The best thing to do is to go into the house and call the police. We’ll take care of it.”