A black bear was seen swimming Tuesday in North Park Lake in McCandless, according to Allegheny County officials.
The county advised park visitors to not approach or try to interact with the bear, and, as the park requires, to keep pets leashed and under control at all times.
“If you are visiting the park, please use caution and give the bear plenty of space,” the county said in a notice. “The best thing you can do is view wildlife from a safe distance and allow it to move through the area undisturbed.”
There were no reports of the bear confronting or hurting anyone.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission got two reports about the bear Tuesday morning, state game Warden Dan Kennedy said. A woman reported seeing it crossing Pearce Mill Road in front of her, followed by a park ranger reporting the same bear being spotted swimming across the lake nearby.
“The beginning of June to the middle of July is mating season for the black bears in Pennsylvania,” Kennedy said. “This time of year, bears are starting to expand a little bit in search of someone to mate with. They can cover a lot of ground throughout the day. There’s no telling where that bear is or where it’s going. It’s obviously in search of a mate.”
Braden Meiter, lead supervisory park ranger for Allegheny County Parks, said there had been reports of a bear around park shelters over the weekend. As of about 4 p.m. Tuesday, there had not been any more sightings after the two in the morning.
“It could be anywhere in the park,” he said, adding that it is believed to be a young bear passing through.
Because the bear is not posing a threat and is not a nuisance, the Game Commission will not be trying to capture it, Kennedy said.
“We just want bears to be left alone and let bears be bears,” he said. “If it becomes a nuisance, we’ll reevaluate the situation. For the time being, we know that the bear is around. The public can report it if they want. As long as that bear’s not doing anything, we’re not going to bother it.”
Reports can be made by calling the Game Commission at 833-742-4868.