WORCESTER, MASS. (WHDH) – A small bear was seen wandering down a residential street in Worcester Tuesday afternoon.
The bear was spotted wandering near Brooks Street and earlier on Malden Street, where Norrback Avenue School was about to dismiss for the day.
Leo and Kathy Pedone had just gotten home at around 2 p.m. when they saw the bear across the street.
“I was on the deck with my wife and when I turned, she said there was a bear, and the bear was in my neighbor’s driveway,” Leo Pedone said. “He turned, he looked at me, and he ran.”
The Pedones said they watched the bear run up a hill toward Brooks Street.
“One of the parents said that they had left the kids in school because somebody had called to say that the bear was up on Norrback [Avenue], so it must’ve just made its way here,” Kathy Pedone said.
MassWildlife estimates there are more than 4,500 black bears living in Massachusetts. As their population grows, they’re expanding eastward, toward the most densely populated communities in the state.
“It was so surreal. I never expected to see a bear, like are you kidding me?” Leo Pedone said.
This was the first bear the Pedones have seen in the 40 years they’ve lived in the area, they said.
“It was a pretty good size. It wasn’t a baby, it was a full-grown bear,” Kathy Pedone said.
According to MassWildlife, if you see a bear in your neighborhood, you should remove your birdfeeder, secure your trash, and protect your pets.
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