Black bears prowl across the suburbs

WESTWOOD -- Seven-year-old Hannah Broderick was eating waffles in her family's kitchen yesterday when she glanced out the window.

''Oh, my God, is that a bear?" she exclaimed.

As her mother, Saranne, and younger siblings scrambled to see, the black bear came within 10 feet of the back door. Then it ran to a neighbor's backyard, crossed Olde Carriage Road, and disappeared into a patch of woods, said Saranne Broderick.

''It was the most unbelievable thing you've ever seen," she said of the morning encounter. ''I never thought we'd have bears in Westwood."

The bear's appearance in this upscale suburb, only 20 miles southwest of Boston and just outside Route 128, is the latest in what authorities say is an influx of black bears into residential neighborhoods. Bears are edging closer to Boston at a time when sightings across Eastern Massachusetts are increasingly common: One bear was spotted recently in downtown Worcester, according to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife; another was discovered hiding in a tree in a Haverhill condominium complex last week.''Bears are increasingly expanding into Worcester County and into more populated areas," said Marion Larson, an information and education biologist with the agency, who said the sightings have prompted an effort to raise awareness about the dangers of attracting bears. ''More and more it's becoming a real concern."

About 3,000 black bears live in Massachusetts, a number that is growing by about 10 percent a year, Larson said.

Most of the animals live in the western part of the state, but as their numbers climb -- and development crowds them out of their natural habitats -- the animals are appearing in more densely populated areas, she said.

The Westwood bear eluded capture yesterday, but authorities are almost certain it is the same animal that has been spotted in several widely scattered communities west of Boston this week, including Mendon, Hopedale, Millis, and Norwood. Last night, a bear was again spotted in Norwood, which borders Westwood, WHDH-TV reported.

The bear, which fish and wildlife officials believe is a male about 17 months old, is about 6 feet tall and weighs between 130 and 160 pounds.

Biologists say it is possible the bear was recently evicted from its den by its mother to make room for new cubs, and they believe it is looking for a new place to live. They do not believe the bear is dangerous, but are advising residents not to approach it or aggravate it.

''The bear's more afraid of you than you are of them," Larson said. ''It's quite wary of people."

The animal was first seen in the suburbs around 8 Monday evening in Mendon, when a resident on Powers Road reported seeing a bear in his neighbor's backyard, police say.

About 90 minutes later, Frank Feccia of Hopedale looked out the kitchen window of his Driftway Street home and saw the bear tearing apart his backyard bird feeder.

''I put the spotlight on it, yelled at it, and it stood up, and when I saw it was as big as me, I went back into the house," he said. ''I've had deer in the backyard. I've had turkeys in the backyard. I've had everything, but I never thought I'd see a bear in the backyard."

On Tuesday evening, Millis patrolman Robert Dixon was called to Ridge Street after several residents reported seeing a bear in the area. The bear was near the street between two houses when he arrived, and Dixon said he thought he'd try to get a picture with his camera phone.

Staring face-to-snout with the bear, Dixon crept toward it, coming within about 15 feet before the animal ran into the woods. ''He's not an aggressive bear, but you don't want to corner him or come between them and their cubs," he said. ''Just keep your dogs in, and they usually won't bother anybody."

A short time later, Millis resident Jeannette Estes saw her dog barking at what she thought was another dog. But then the creature darted up a tree. ''I was kind of I think shocked, like, you gotta be kidding me, what would a bear be doing around here?" Estes said.

Residents in Norwood called police Wednesday evening and around dawn yesterday with more bear sightings, police said. By about 7:15 a.m. it was in nearby Westwood, with about five residents reporting sightings to police in the span of about 10 minutes.

Police were stunned.

''I thought he was full of it," said Officer Kenneth Jones of one resident's report. ''I thought, maybe he saw an oversize cat or big shaggy dog."

But as calls poured in, Jones thought, ''Wow, it really is a bear."

Larson said the bear's appearance in towns located more than 20 miles apart over the week is not unusual. ''Young males have been known to travel hundreds of miles" in search of their own habitat, she said.

The agency is urging people to take down their bird feeders between April and November and keep their garbage in enclosed containers to discourage scavenging bears. Once a bear finds a reliable source of food, it's nearly impossible to discourage it, Larson said. ''Bears have an incredible memory," she said. ''They can remember where they found food year after year after year, and they'll just keep coming back."

If authorities catch up with the Westwood bear, they will probably try to lead it into a less-populated area or tranquilize it and move it out of the suburbs, Larson said.

Globe correspondents Scott Goldstein, Jennifer Nelson, and Glenn Yoder contributed to this report.