Bear keeps Monterey police on the move
by Amy Davis of the
Herald Citizen newspaper
MONTEREY — An intruder
of the furry black sort caused a stir in Monterey on Friday.
“It was all over town,” Monterey Police Chief Bill Randolph said of a bear, which had alarmed residents enough to alert police. “The first place I saw it was by the Dairy Queen, and then it ended up in front of the police department.”
Randolph said the critter moved quickly through the area, apparently frightened and looking to find its way back into the woods.
“He wanted to get away from everybody,” he said. “He wasn’t wanting any company.”
The chief said the excitement unfolded around 2 p.m. after a resident in the vicinity of Dairy Queen on East Stratton Avenue reported the sighting.
“We got a call from a homeowner telling us there was a bear in her front yard,” he said. “So we went over there, and then all the neighbors pointed out which way he went.”
Which was toward the Monterey City Pool on Commercial Avenue.
“We were able to warn them that a bear was in the area, and we got over as quickly as we could to make sure nobody was in danger,” Randolph said.
But the bear didn’t stick around long.
“He went by so quick there was no way they could have gotten everybody out of the pool or closed it down,” Randolph said of the fenced-in area.
K-9 Officer Larry Bates and Det. Mike Phillips were also on the scene, as were the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and Putnam County Animal Control.
The bear next headed toward Whitaker Park but was cut short, having been directed instead toward the old high school property.
“We actually got him inside that fenced-in area for awhile, and then he ended up heading on toward Highway 62 toward Fentress County,” Randolph said.
“The TWRA were trying to get him back over into the woods away from everybody.”
Randolph recommends that anyone who sees a bear should “leave it alone.”
“Do not pursue it, whatever you do,” he said, noting that on Friday several residents had attempted to follow the bear in their vehicles.
“This bear was tired, and it was obvious he wanted to get away from everybody,” he said. “But it is an animal — you can’t predict what it will do — so the best thing is to stay away from it, and people were wanting to follow him around.”
The chief said the bear was the first he’d seen in Monterey but said the police department has gotten calls regarding other recent sightings.
“People who live close to the interstate have called in saying they’ve seen them around there,” he said.
“It was all over town,” Monterey Police Chief Bill Randolph said of a bear, which had alarmed residents enough to alert police. “The first place I saw it was by the Dairy Queen, and then it ended up in front of the police department.”
Randolph said the critter moved quickly through the area, apparently frightened and looking to find its way back into the woods.
“He wanted to get away from everybody,” he said. “He wasn’t wanting any company.”
The chief said the excitement unfolded around 2 p.m. after a resident in the vicinity of Dairy Queen on East Stratton Avenue reported the sighting.
“We got a call from a homeowner telling us there was a bear in her front yard,” he said. “So we went over there, and then all the neighbors pointed out which way he went.”
Which was toward the Monterey City Pool on Commercial Avenue.
“We were able to warn them that a bear was in the area, and we got over as quickly as we could to make sure nobody was in danger,” Randolph said.
But the bear didn’t stick around long.
“He went by so quick there was no way they could have gotten everybody out of the pool or closed it down,” Randolph said of the fenced-in area.
K-9 Officer Larry Bates and Det. Mike Phillips were also on the scene, as were the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and Putnam County Animal Control.
The bear next headed toward Whitaker Park but was cut short, having been directed instead toward the old high school property.
“We actually got him inside that fenced-in area for awhile, and then he ended up heading on toward Highway 62 toward Fentress County,” Randolph said.
“The TWRA were trying to get him back over into the woods away from everybody.”
Randolph recommends that anyone who sees a bear should “leave it alone.”
“Do not pursue it, whatever you do,” he said, noting that on Friday several residents had attempted to follow the bear in their vehicles.
“This bear was tired, and it was obvious he wanted to get away from everybody,” he said. “But it is an animal — you can’t predict what it will do — so the best thing is to stay away from it, and people were wanting to follow him around.”
The chief said the bear was the first he’d seen in Monterey but said the police department has gotten calls regarding other recent sightings.
“People who live close to the interstate have called in saying they’ve seen them around there,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment