In a sight less common than fireworks on Independence Day, a bear was spotted sprinting through the downtown streets of Kittanning this past Thursday, corroborated by footage captured by an onlooker cruising near a local eatery. Kayla Montgomery, on her way to the YMCA park, found herself an impromptu cinematographer as she recorded a bear sprinting across the road, as reported by CBS News Pittsburgh.
Interactions with bears in urban areas, while not everyday occurrences, are not novelties in the state of Pennsylvania, where approximately 18,000 bears call home. Video taken on North Water Street shows the bear running near The Meredith Inn, a popular Armstrong County restaurant, as reported by WPXI.
Instances of bear-human confrontations, though rare, have regrettably transpired. Earlier this year, a bear and its cubs made headlines as Butler Township police issued a warning after their sighting, and in a separate event, a woman suffered an attack from a bear in the same vicinity. The bear linked to the attack was euthanized, and its cubs were relocated, according to CBS News Pittsburgh.
As encounters with these large mammals become more frequent in populated zones, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has established protocols for residents, suggesting that if you happen to come across a bear, "making noise to let it know you're there" and "backing away slowly while facing the bear" to ensure their awareness of your presence. The Game Commission advises to counter with whatever is at hand, be it "rocks, sticks, binoculars and even their bare hands," as told by a survivor who repelled a bear's attack, as detailed by CBS News Pittsburgh.
