Mother bear, cub spotted in Bangor

BANGOR — A mother bear and cub were reported seen in Rolland F. Perry City Forest early Saturday afternoon, police said.

A woman walking with her daughter on a nature trail in the wildlife habitat off Tripp Drive reported seeing the two bears at about 1 p.m., police said.

A dispatcher for the Maine Warden Service said a game warden was sent to investigate. The warden did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment Saturday.

Several bear sightings have been reported in the Bangor area over the last few weeks. A motorist apparently saw a small black bear, believed to be a cub, crossing Interstate 95 near Forest Avenue on May 25.

A larger bear was spotted near the bird feeders at Princeton Elementary School, and Game Warden Brad Richard set a trap to try and capture the nuisance bear. The bear visited the school on May 19 and May 20 before Richard trapped the bear early before school started May 23. Game wardens released the bear in Aroostook County later that day.

Bears commonly come into populated areas in search of food. They target garbage cans, bird feeders and dumpsters before retreating back into the woods. They will stay and consume more natural resources, such as berries, when the fruit starts appearing later in spring, game wardens said.

Anyone who sees a bear can call 911. Bears are considered dangerous creatures, although they typically shy from human contact.

The Perry forest is more than 680 acres of wildlife habitat and working forest near Main Road and Tripp Drive. It is adjacent to Walden-Parke Preserve, which encompasses more than 300 acres.

Bangor Daily News reporter Nok-Noi Ricker contributed to this report.

: A mother bear and her three yearling cubs try to get to a suet feeder at an Orono home on May 19. There have been a series of bear sightings in the Bangor area over the past several weeks.