If you want to meet the elusive black bear that has captivated Lower Bucks County, don’t bother tromping in the woods. Get on Twitter.
The popular social media outlet is where he is bear-ing his soul, so to speak.
“It’s tough being a bear. I mean, just once, I’d like to stroll through @Target sipping a @Starbucks latte, you know, to see what’s on sale,” wrote @BlackBearSpoted, who had posted more than 350 tweets as of Monday evening and collected 171 followers and counting.
After a handful of appearances in Lower Bucks, though, the black bear appears to be shunning public appearances for the moment.
The last sighting of him was somewhere in Croydon on Sunday, Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Southeastern Regional Office spokeswoman Cheryl Trewella said Monday. Since last week, he has also reportedly made appearances in Hulmeville, Middletown and Bensalem.
 |
| Setting a bear trap |
What makes this black bear unusual isn’t its Lower Bucks County visits. This time of year it’s common to find young male bears looking to find their own territory by circling down and checking things out in Lower Bucks before heading north, Trewella said.
What makes this bear unusual is his size — estimated at as much as 400 pounds, she said. As an adult male, the bear likely has his territory staked out. The game commission suspects it could be a particular bear that has called Upper Bucks home for the past two years, Trewella said.
One thing the spokeswoman is sure about is all this publicity isn’t helping efforts to catch him. This is no teddy bear, either. While not typically aggressive, in a threatening situation — like say a bunch of human paparazzi following him — black bears can become as nasty as a short-tempered pop star.
The state agency has set a trap in Middletown, though it’s unclear if it’s baited with a picnic basket. If people would just leave the bear alone, Trewella believes he’d most likely quietly wander back up county.
“I know it’s getting a lot of attention through the media, but I don’t want people approaching the bear, feeding the bear or encouraging the bear,” she said. “We really need people to leave him alone.”
For now, the bear — who describes himself as “tired, hungry and lost; heading to your town” — seems content to remain low-profile. But he remains active on Twitter, where he posted more than a dozen tweets including such reflections as:
“Found 2 Red Solo cups from Beer Pong game last weekend think I’ll spend the rest of my night trying to learn The Cup Song.”
“I’ll stop rubbing my (behind) on trees, when you girls stop displaying your un-pedicured toes in last year’s flip flops.”
“It’s funny you think all you want is some quiet time to yourself, in the woods, and when you get it? Meh, not what you thought it would be.”
Jo Ciavaglia: 215-949-4181; email: jciavaglia@phillyBurbs.com; Twitter: @jociavaglia
No comments:
Post a Comment