ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Alpharetta police have been getting reports of bear sightings in the city, and they’re urging people not to be alarmed, just be aware.
Channel 2’s Bryan Mims went to Alpharetta where a bear was spotted near an elementary school.
Alpharetta police told Mims that the calls were coming in from people about a bear seen on their street.
While Alpharetta neighborhoods aren’t where you typically expect to see a bear wandering through, police said it’s that time of year, so it isn’t unusual to see bears on the move, even in urban areas.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Still, that doesn’t keep families from getting nervous.
Zach Hudson, the father of students at Alpharetta Elementary School, told Channel 2 Action News he heard about a bear roaming the area from his kids.
“They just told us that the school got locked down because of the bear sighting,” Hudson told Mims.
TRENDING STORIES:
- $2M in fake luxury bags lead to charges for 2 moms, police say
- I-285 lanes to shut down again for weekend in Fulton County
- Witness: ‘Hurts’ to see police kill shoplifting suspect at mall
But it was a soft lockdown, and the school sent an email to parents about it.
Other calls came in about a bear from near the Lantern Ridge neighborhood last Wednesday.
“It’s very surprising to me. I mean, the only thing I can think of, with all of the construction, maybe they’re getting pushed out of their natural habitats,” Hudson said. “It’s definitely surprising.”
“This is something that, it happens sporadically, but it does happen,” Alpharetta Police Capt. Jakai Braithwaite said.
Speaking with Channel 2 Action News, he urged the public to secure their trash, bird seed and pet food and to be smart about it.
“Please by no means, don’t try to get close to the bear, don’t try to get a selfie with it,” Braithwaite said.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources said bear sightings spike in late spring and summer because young male bears are on the move, pushed out of their home ranges by older males.
DNR said those younger bears are looking for food sources and said no one should feed them.
As long as you’re in a secure spot, you can make noises to scare bears away so they don’t get comfortable in residential areas.
State wildlife officials said north Georgia has a healthy and abundant bear population, but they generally don’t pose a danger to humans as long as we keep our distance.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2026 Cox Media Group
