Bear spotted at Medford's Jackson Apartments Monday morning

MEDFORD, Ore. – A bear was spotted this morning at the Jackson Apartments in downtown Medford.

This is the second bear sighting over the past two days within city limits.

Medford Police and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife responded this morning to the sighting at the apartment complex.

The bear was high up in a tree bordering the edge of the complex and the entrance to the Bear Creek Greenway.

ODFW says this kind of sighting is not unusual for the area.

“In our region and in Oregon in general we have a very high bear population to begin with,” said ODFW wildlife biologist Chris Shelton. “They do venture on into town unfortunately every now and then. Most of the time they’ll leave. They’ll come and go fairly often on the outskirts of town there.”

Medford Police say its not aggressive so it’s best to leave the bear alone and allow it to return home on its own.

They also say if you see a bear, leave it alone, bring your pets inside, and don’t leave food out and easily accessible to animals.