‘Be on the lookout!’: Bear sighted in Plum neighborhood

Let’s say that she or he was, uh, bear-ly noticeable.

Following what probably were a series of double takes and/or rubbings of eyes, several Plum residents were quick to grab their smartphones to photograph an unexpected mid-June visitor.

An ursine character of undetermined gender, at least from a layman’s cursory glance, was roaming the Holiday Park neighborhood off Saltsburg Road that includes Havana, Mardi Gras, Nassau and Samoa drives.

“Folks, just saw a bear crossing over Mardi Gras and walking in the back yards of Nassau. Be on the lookout!” Bridget Fallon Wyzkiewicz advised when posting her image online.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission acknowledges that state’s black bear population is larger and more widely distributed than in the past, with sightings possible in all 67 counties, Allegheny included.

“Continued expansion of residential development into areas occupied by black bears and wandering young adult bears in search of a place to settle have resulted in more frequent sightings and encounters between people and bears,” according to a commission Urban Bear Study brochure, adding the good news:

“Fortunately most bears pose a minimum problem or risk.”

More information about your typical Yogi and Boo Boo types is avaiable at www.pgc.state.pa.us.