More bear sightings in Northern California, days after one was seen near a school
Authorities have reported additional bear sightings this week in residential parts of Northern California, days after one was spotted in a tree near homes and schools in Vacaville.
The Winters Police Department said in a Facebook post Friday that it recently received reports of a bear being seen near Putah Creek Road just southwest of city limits, an area occupied by several orchards.
It’s not clear if it was the same black bear that the Vacaville Police Department observed Monday in a tree near the 200 block of North Orchard Avenue, not far from Willis Jepson Middle School and a couple of other nearby campuses. Winters is about 15 miles north of Vacaville.
After Monday’s discovery, residents in the Vacaville area reported at least two more bear sightings by the middle of the week, NBC Bay Area and the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Police shared photos and a brief video clip of the bear seen in a tree Monday, in which it appeared calm. An NBC Bay Area segment included cellphone and Ring doorbell camera footage from residents, one appearing to show a bear walking across a driveway and the other showing one exploring a backyard.
No photos or videos of the bear seen near Winters were available.
Vacaville police said the bear or bears have not exhibited any aggressive behavior, and that people should call the police or the Department of Fish and Wildlife if they do see a bear act aggressively.
Authorities said people living in areas near the sightings may want to keep their pets indoors. No one should ever feed a wild bear.
The Winters Police Department in its social media post Friday said black bears have been in the city before, in 2016.
It is relatively rare, but not unheard of, for bears to pass through residential parts of Yolo and Solano counties. Black bears are native to the Putah Creek and Capay Valley areas, which are several miles west and northwest of well-populated areas in each county, respectively.
Bears will sometimes make their way from those territories to as far east as Davis, including the UC Davis campus. One found on university grounds in June 2019 was captured by wildlife personnel and released back into the wild. Two others, after being spotted in May 2020 and May 2021, were found dead along Highway 113, apparently struck by vehicles.
“Last year’s cubs are making their way in the world and are in search of food and territory,” Winters police wrote Friday. “Recent burn scars may also be driving bear into new areas,” after major California wildfires in recent years.