Bear Spotted In Downtown Ellsworth

The Ellsworth Police Department received several calls of a large bear wandering around Elm and Water streets, a residential area in downtown Ellsworth. A dispatcher called the Maine Warden Service.The Maine Warden Service informed the dispatcher that animals generally leave popular areas when the sun comes up.

Doug Rafferty, spokesman for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, told the Bangor Daily News that the bear likely awoke from hibernation fairly recently and at this time of year it's not uncommon for bears to wander into populated areas in search for food.

Last year, the Maine Warden Service received 870 bear-related complaints, in 2011 they received 436 complaints and in 2010 they only received 395 complaints.

The department advises Maine residents to keep garbage and livestock foods inside, to properly clean outdoor grills and to take down bird feeders.