BALLWIN, Mo. — A black bear was spotted by residents in the Eureka and Ballwin area this week.
The Ballwin Police Department responded to reports of residents who spotted the cub near Clayton Road and Kehrs Mill Road on Friday.
Several videos show the bear walking through front yards. One video from a viewer shows the bear walking through Claymont Shopping Center.
Viewer Lori Kelling told 5 On Your Side that she was standing on her front porch when she saw the bear. Kelling's neighbor Diane Dixon called her and told her a bear was eating a bird in Dixon's backyard.
The bear was marching around near people's homes in White Acre Estates.
Kelling who filmed the White Acre Estates bear video has lived in Ballwin for thirty years and has never seen a small bear in someone's backyard.
"It looked so harmless," Kelling told 5 On Your Side's Annie Krall. "It looked like it was meandering through the neighborhood, very comfortable. We weren't scared. There was no fear. It was just this tiny bear walking through. It looked lost."
"There's a clump of bushes and a fence," Dixon described. "He was back there and then he stood up" and then walked away.
Neighbors said the bear left the subdivision in the direction toward a nearby park which is not far from the main drag of Manchester Road.
There were no bear sightings reported at Vlasis Park on Saturday afternoon.
"Let it do its thing," Kelling said. "Let it get to wherever it needs to get to and hopefully no one tries to interject by trying to stop it, trying to catch it, harm it, or anything."
The Missouri Department of Conservation(MDC) says that they are tracking the cub who they believe was also spotted in Eureka earlier this week, according to the police report.
Tips from the MDC for a bear encounter:
- Never corner a bear — make sure it has an escape route.
- Back away slowly with your arms raised.
- Speak in a calm, loud voice.
- Do not turn your back to the bear.
- Walk away slowly — Do not run.
- Make noise so you don’t surprise a bear – clap, sing, or talk loudly. Travel in a group if possible.
- Pay attention to your surroundings and watch for bear sign such as tracks or claw or bite marks on trees.
- Keep dogs leashed.
- If you see a bear, leave it alone! Do not approach it. Make sure it has an escape route.
Report a bear sighting in your neighborhood here.