The city of Alpharetta took to its Facebook page on Monday to inform its residents of some "bear necessities."
In the post, the city says that residents in the Ruths Farm neighborhood spotted a black bear on their security camera this past weekend. That neighborhood is in the northwest part of the city, near Mayfield Road.
“Black bears are not uncommon in North Georgia. In fact, every spring you will see or hear reports of black bears roaming through suburban areas as they seek new home ranges,” the city says. “While they love to get into bird feeders and trash cans scavenging for an easy meal, they are rarely a threat to people; provided we humans use a bit of common sense.”
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Alpharetta linked to a black bear fact sheet provided by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The sheet notes that there are no recorded bear attacks on humans in Georgia and there have been only two fatal black bear attacks in the southeastern United States.
BearWise.org notes that the southeast is home to more than 70,000 black bears. The website, which says its mission is to help “people live responsibly with black bears,” also says you should never approach or feed bears.
If you encounter a bear, you should "quietly move away," the site says. Once you're at a safe distance, make loud noises, shout, or bang pots and pans together to scare it away. Never corner a bear, the site says.
When camping, BearWise.org says you should always carry bear spray. If an aggressive bear approaches you and doesn't back away, you should remain calm and stand your ground. The site advises you to "try and appear large by holding up your arms" and try to intimidate the bear by waving your arms and shouting. If the bear makes contact with you, fight back with anything at hand, the site says.
People commenting on the city of Alpharetta’s Facebook post say they have seen bears recently too. One woman said she saw two bears a week ago near a carwash in Crabapple. Another woman said she saw a bear recently in Forsyth County near Highway 20.
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