Bear stops by Franklin Park home

A black bear stopped by a Franklin Park home near the intersection of Rochester Road and Route 910 on May 15.

A motion activated camera documented the bear, about 150 pounds, casually walking about at 12:45 a.m.

The bruin did no damage and hasn’t been seen since, according to Sara Stone of Franklin Park.

Stone was already awake and was happily surprised there was not damage, with only footprints in one of her gardens left behind.

She alerted her neighbors and hasn’t anything heard more about the bear, nor has the Pennsylvania Game Commission, according to Dan Puhala, a game warden who covers Allegheny County.

He saw Stone’s video and said that the bear was obviously a transient.

Bears can wander considerable distances, especially this time of year when females are breeding and pushing out last year’s cubs.

“The bears travel the I-79 corridor and over the years there’s been sightings in Economy, Franklin Park, and the (state) game lands in Franklin,” Puhala said.

In the last few weeks, there have been bear sightings in Tarentum near Route 908 and in Monroeville, he added. Neither were nuisance situations so far, he added.

Puhala suggests that residents take in bird seed or anything else bears can eat. If there is no food, the animals won’t stick around.

To learn more about black, visit the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s website.