There were reports of a black bear in the area of Castleton Elementary School on Tuesday morning. Schodack Police and the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office along with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation are investigating the sighting.
The school district posted an advisory on its website alerting parents and staff:
As many of you may already be aware, a bear was sighted early this morning around 7:10 AM in the vicinity of Castleton Elementary School. Specifically, the bear was wandering around and rooting through garbage at some nearby homes. Police were immediately called and district staff monitored the bear’s activity from a distance until they arrived. The bear continued to move further away from CES and was out of the area by 7:40 AM. Students began to arrive at CES for the day around 15 minutes later and State Police and the Sheriff’s Office monitored the area throughout student arrival. The bear was not seen again and all students and faculty/staff arrived at CES without incident.
Police are asking residents in the area to keep an eye out. If you see the bear, police would like to hear from you at 518-477-8077.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation offers tips on how to avoid coming in contact with bears, most notably sealing garbage containers and removing bird feeders and grills.
[News 10]
feature photo: Reuters