York Regional Police have suspended their search for a black bear that was spotted in the backyard of a Newmarket home on Sunday morning and are warning residents to be on the lookout for the animal.
According to Staff Sgt. Rod Fraser, a resident observed the bear in the backyard of their home near Leslie Street and Davis Drive early Sunday morning.
Fraser said a number of officers were dispatched to the area and scoured the neighbourhood for several hours but were unable to locate the bear.
Police believe the bear could be the same one spotted by a number of residents in the Green Lane and Highway 404 area on Saturday afternoon and also caught on camera wandering in a Holland Landing backyard earlier in the day on Saturday.
“We have had no more calls on this black bear since 8:30 a.m., so he has eluded us and we are asking the public to keep an eye out for him and give us a call if they spot him,” Fraser told CP24. “Please avoid any contact with this bear but please do contact us.”
While it is relatively rare for bears to venture into residential neighbourhoods, Fraser said it isn’t unheard of for the animals to do so this time of year in an effort to find food.
As a result, York Regional Police are urging neighbourhood residents to secure their garbage bins.
Meanwhile, as York Regional Police search for the roaming black bear one Holland Landing resident is speaking out about his run in with the animal on Saturday morning.
“My son told me and I thought ‘You are out of your mind.’ I thought it was a big dog from down the street but I had a look and the next thing you know he popped out from behind the pool. He wasn’t a cub by any means,” Dave Carter told CP24. “It is a little different for this area.”
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