A typical Sunday drive through Habersham turned into a not so typical bear sighting. Jesse Cole captured this photo of a wandering bear Sunday morning around 8 a.m. in the area of Double Springs and Cannon Bridge Roads.
“Just saw this fella on hwy 105,” he wrote in a message to Now Habersham. The bear was headed towards Highway 115.
Cole snapped the photo and went on his way. He assumes the bear did too. “I have no idea what happened to the bear,” Cole says. “It was all so random.”
Bear sightings in Habersham are uncommon enough that, when they happen, they do grab people’s attention.
Cornelia homeowner Barry Lipsitz had a bear show up in his backyard several times in 2018.
Black bears are indigenous to the area and officials say there are bears everywhere in every community. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources does not, as a general rule, try to relocate them.
Homeowners who are having problems with bears should put up bird feeders and outdoor pet feeders and secure outdoor garbage and recycling cans.
For useful tips on bear safety and management check out these helpful links:
Bears Live in Your Neighborhood
