UPDATED: Black Bear Reportedly On The Move In Columbia County

1:25 p.m. UPDATE: A WJBF News Channel 6 viewer just called and said a bear may have been found behind Lakeside High School.

1:10 p.m. UPDATE: A WJBF News Channel 6 viewer just called and told us that a bear was just sighted on the 600 block of Kemper Drive, near Lakeside Townhouses, just off Evans To Lock Road.

12:00 a.m., Tuesday, 6/16 from Columbia County EMA Director Pam Tucker:

In an effort to keep the public aware of the latest locations of bear sightings so his whereabouts are known….below are today’s reports:

10:59 a.m. – The bear was seen by Ron Jones, Columbia County School of Ballet, walking across their yard and into the woods at 639 Fury’s Ferry Road.

11:00 a.m. - The bear was seen at 11:00 a.m. crossing Fury’s Ferry Road into Jones Creek by Grainger salesman Steve Hair.

11:19 a.m. – A citizen reported seeing the bear run across Fury’s Ferry Road and back into the woods near Earth Fare.

Please use caution while driving in this area.  The bear is once again on the move and is crossing roads. Also, please remember these tips provided by DNR until the bear leaves the area.

Martinez, GA—Sarah Beth and Lilly Bryan saw the bear and have the pictures to prove it.

Paige tucker, reporting: “Were you scared?“

“No, he’s down at the park,“ says Sarah Beth.

The girl’s father says the black bear was making himself at home in their suburban Columbia County backyard. “I got my girls because they’d been playing outside for about an hour, within about five minutes or so we saw the bear.“

After snapping a few pictures of the bear, Andrew Bryan says it climbed a tree, jumped their fence, and took off into the woods. Describing to us what he saw, he said, “It’s like a big Great Dane, with a lot more mass and size, three or four hundred pounds.”

Columbia County and the Department of Natural Resources got plenty of bear sighting calls, Monday, from people in the same area. The bear was reportedly spotted traveling in a zig-zag pattern and trying to get into someone’s garage.

Some people say they hope neighbors will let the bear find its way out of suburbia safely. “The river’s there, he’s got food. He’s got water, just let him do his thing, let him go home,“ says Sara Reynolds, who was concerned for the bear’s welfare.

The Department of Natural Resources says, if left alone, the bear will find its way out of the residential area. Until then, officials say not to try to chase a bear on foot or in a car, keep dog and cat food in your home, and don’t put trash on the curb until your pick-up day.

Below are some of the pictures Andrew took of the bear in his yard: