VIDEO: Small Bear Spotted In Davis Neighborhood; Search Still Ongoing
DAVIS (CBS13) — Animal control officers are looking for a small bear that was reportedly sighted in Davis on Wednesday morning.
According to the Davis Police Department, a small brown-colored bear was seen around 7 a.m. in the West Davis pond area near Arlington Boulevard and Shasta Drive.
"It was a surprise," said Janet Thatcher
Janet and Gary thatcher couldn't believe their eyes when they saw video of a young bear in their front yard.
"The bear was up on the porch. It was too low and too small for the doorbell ring to catch it," she said.
Their surveillance cameras caught it walking away by their cars. They initially thought it was a possum.
"So I am looking at the video and I go that is not a possum!" Thatcher said.
City of Davis biologist John McNerney says the bear may have been looking for water.
"Generally water on the valley floor equates to lush dense vegetation," he said.
McNerney says every now and then adolescent bears make their way down.
"They end up following these watercourses down and then are like, where is the oak woodland? Where is my habitat? They don't find it," he said.
Indeed, it wasn't the first time in recent memory a bear wandered into Davis. Back in June 2019, a young bear made its way onto UC Davis and prompted a campus-wide alert.
Officers were out in the West Davis area looking for the bear.
Anyone who sees the bear is urged to stay away and call 911 immediately.
