Bear Sightings Reported Near Soule School, Route 28

Multiple bear sightings have been reported in the areas of Soule Elementary School and Route 28, according to Salem Animal Control Officer Corie Bliss.

According to Bliss, multiple calls have come in over the past few days reporting the presence of two adult black bears.

She said that the bears are not aggressive by nature.

"I think people are getting nervous that they're going to get attacked. That's certainly not their normal behavior."

If approached, Bliss said that these bears will typically just run.

But residents are still urged to take specific precautions to avoid attracting bears to their neighborhood.

Bliss said that people need to take in bird feeders and make sure that any trash or waste is picked up and put in either a locked shed or secured tightly.

The majority of the sightings have come during the evening hours, with some morning and afternoon sightings reported late yesterday.

On Route 28, sightings have been reported near Kohl's. Other callers have phoned in to report seeing bears on Mcfarland Road and on Chatham Circle, where the two bears were sitting outside eating in a person's yard.

Soule School has also taken extra precautions.

During recess, the school has extra monitors outside. Today, because of the report, Bliss and some other officers have also been driving through.

Bliss said that Salem Animal Control typically gets less than a handful of bear sightings each year, and that she believes the multiple calls to be the same bears hanging around. Sightings are most often reported in the wooded areas of town.

A section for frequently asked bear questions is available on the New Hampshire Fish and Game website, and is available here.

To contact Bliss, call (603) 890-2390. The number reaches the police department's dispatch center and the animal control officer will be dispatched from there.