Bear sightings have South Burlington residents on alert

South Burlington residents have spotted a black bear strolling through suburbia.

Our Christina Guessferd spoke with people in one neighborhood who are on bear watch. The animal was first spotted in a backyard on Four Sisters Road at about 4 p.m. Sunday. And it was caught on camera.

"One of our neighbors said they had a photo of a bear crossing Dorey Road. So, I went and checked our cameras and sure enough, she came at our compost bin at 4:05 p.m. yesterday," said Rosanne Greco of South Burlington.

Greco captured the video on her critter camera. You can see the bear sniffing around the compost barrel, trying to get to the food inside without much luck.

"She didn't do anything with the compost except take out one eggshell, which was on the ground. So, she's a very neat bear. So, I put the top back on and then I put a very heavy piece of firewood on it. Although now that I see how big she is, I'm thinking she could probably take the firewood off," Greco said.

After the bear got bored with Greco's compost, neighbors think it meandered through the brush into another backyard.

"We have a bear! Very cute little thing," neighbor Hannah Torney said. "He kind of just popped out of the brush, was looking around, then proceeded to walk across the street."

But while Torney doesn't mind the curious critter, she's staying on high alert to protect her own.

"I highly recommend being very careful, especially with the little ones," Torney said.

South Burlington police say, so far, the bear hasn't been a threat to people. They shared a picture on social media so residents aren't startled if they see it.

"If a person comes upon the bear, goes out to investigate a bump in the night and they come upon the bear," South Burlington Police Chief Shawn Burke said.

Reporter Christina Guessferd: Is it unusual to see a bear coming into an urban space like South Burlington?

Chief Shawn Burke: No, no, when you think of how Chittenden County is comingled right on the edge of hearty, hearty forest, this is not surprising at all.

From Rutland to Jericho to Waterbury, black bears have woken from their winter slumber to roam the landscape. Now, the sightings are a reminder to residents to remove birdfeeders from backyards and secure compost and waste bins inside.

"This bear clearly has a food source or two in this general area. And once those food sources are addressed, the bear will move on," Burke said.

But when it comes to wildlife, you can never be too careful.

"When I go out now, I clap my hands to try to scare anything off," Greco said.