CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — An 11-year-old girl took cellphone video of a large black bear running wild through her Woodstock neighborhood. At the time, she was with her aunt driving in the neighborhood looking for her missing dogs.
"I saw this bear. It's the first time I saw a black bear. It was kind of crazy and scary because I thought the bear might have eaten the dogs," Kate Thompson said.
Thompson told Channel 2's Tom Regan she was worried after her dogs, Chloe and Cooter, got out of her yard.
Other residents of the Arbor View subdivision said an alert went out from the homeowners association warning residents to keep small dogs and children inside their homes.
"I couldn't believe it. At first, I thought someone was kidding me. A bear in the neighborhood?" resident Sharis Mayer said.
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The HOA contacted the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division. Wildlife officials usually will not trap a bear unless it is a proven threat to pets and people.
Residents were told to remove bird feeders, pet food and other outdoor sources of food that attract the bears.
An estimated 5,000 bears live in Georgia. Most are non-aggressive and run away if confronted by humans or pets. Bear sightings are becoming more frequent as development cuts further into their habitats.
Kate Thompson said a neighbor found her dogs about 15 minutes after she spotted the black bear.
"I was really relieved. My aunt said, ‘Oh good,’” Thompson said.
Cox Media Group
