Carolina Beach residents 'shocked' over black bear sighting
CAROLINA BEACH, North Carolina -- It's pretty common to see some type of wildlife at the beach. Birds, deer, and raccoons are critters beachgoers are likely to come across, but what about a black bear?
Carolina Beach residents said one appeared in their neighborhood over the weekend," WWAY reports.
"There has been a variety of wild animals around but nobody has seen a bear down here before now," said resident Ronald Fellers.
While bear sightings are quite slim, the chances of seeing one at the coast are even lower.
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Donna Johnston captured a photo of one walking down Canal Drive Sunday morning.
Johnston was one of the few who saw the bear firsthand but many are getting wind of this unusual visit.
"I had my doubts but once I saw the picture, it was astonishing," Fellers said.
"That's unbelievable that there was a bear in here and I'm going to be a lot more careful walking around at night and in the morning so when I'm on my strolls," resident Dale Walters said. "I'm going to be looking out for a bear."
Chris Kent with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission said bears will come out from hibernation in the spring and are typically looking for food.
"There's not a lot of natural food sources on the landscape," Kent, Coastal Regional Wildlife Biologist, said. "The berries aren't ripe yet, you know agricultural crops, corn, soybeans, things like that aren't ripe yet and so they're hungry. They're looking for an easy food source."
