Bear wanders 90 miles from north Georgia mountains down to Gwinnett County

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Channel 2 Action News has been telling you about increased bear sightings around metro Atlanta for the last week, including one that damaged a Henry County woman’s car and another spotted at Dobbins Air Reserve Base.

Channel 2′s Berndt Petersen was along Hamilton Mill Road in Gwinnett County where neighbors say they spotted yet another bear.

The Davanzo family says a small black bear was caught on camera walking around the Hamilton Mill community.

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“I’ve heard so many things about it that I’m like, ‘Where is it coming from?’ We have all these questions,” Julie Davanzo said.

Over the last couple of days, it’s estimated he’s walked 90 miles from Fannin County in north Georgia.

Urban wildlife biologists with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources say the bear is most likely a juvenile male in search of his own territory and whatever he can find to eat.

DNR says you should wait until the morning of trash day to put out your garbage, don’t leave out any pet food and empty your bird feeder.

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In most cases, the bears will eventually turn around and head back to the mountains.

For now, the Davanzo family says they’re being extra careful, especially with pets.

“Because we have coyotes too. Now that I know he was just a few doors down, I’ll definitely be putting [our dog Scooby] on a leash when I take him out and be more aware of my surroundings knowing that [the bear’s] out there,” Julie Davanzo said.

DNR says the most important thing is to not feed the bears and eventually they’ll go away.

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