FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga.,None — Residents in several Forsyth County neighborhoods are on alert after a black bear was seen wandering through the area.
The bear was spotted roaming through yards along Sinclair Shoals Road and Shady Grove Road in Cumming near Lake Lanier.
"Obviously we've destroyed a lot of their habitat up north," said John Richardson, who took photos of the bear in his yard. "They're moving south. They're hungry."
Ruth Richardson first saw the bear on her porch and snapped a quick cell phone photo of it from behind her kitchen door window before she called and warned her husband.
"And the only thing I focused on at the beginning was the claws," she said. "They were very long and looked very sharp."
John Richardson chased the bear away before warning a nearby campground. A similar bear, or perhaps the same one, was spotted in other neighborhoods not far away. Residents there told Channel 2 Action News reporter Richard Elliot that the bear did some minor property damage to gardens. An attempt to trap the bear failed.
Another bear was spotted in the Hamilton Mill neighborhood in Gwinnett County.
The Department of Natural Resources cautions that summer is the peak season for bear sightings. Generally, black bears will not attack humans unless provoked. If you spot a bear in an urban area, you're asked to call the DNR.
John Richardson doesn't want to see anything happen to the bear, but he does want his neighbors to be careful.
"They're not going to hurt anybody," he said. "As long as you don't corner a bear, you don't have to worry about it. Respect the bear, respect wildlife, don't threaten them. Just leave them be and you'll be fine."