Central Point, Ore. — A black bear was seen wandering near a Central Point elementary school at around 7 this morning.
Oregon State Trooper Jeff Thompson says the bear was seen jumping through peoples’ backyards before hiding in the brush inside of a residential neighborhood.
The principal at Mae Richardson elementary says she canceled the school’s first recess and closed all school doors as a precaution. A Central Point Police officer was stationed at the school’s entrance in case the bear came any closer.
Mark Vargas with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says that bears actually walk into that area quite often, “there are a lot of bears around here, what a lot of people don’t realize is that they’ve probably have had bears near their property in the night time, and they’ve never seen them, but this one did get caught, and people saw it.”
Thompson said, “right now, ya it’s just kind of a waiting game, letting it relax back in the bushes and it will calm down, and sneak back out of here.”
People who saw the bear say he was fairly large, estimating it to be between 200 to 300 pounds.
Police say they’re monitoring the area where they believe the black bear is hiding because of the amount of people who live close by. Vargas says if you ever come across a bear, make yourself look big and back away, he says its important to give the bear space to escape.
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