Boise Police Searching For Bear On The Loose

This feels like some news that would have happened in 2020 when we were having earthquakes, killer hornets, and a pandemic. Here we are in 2021 with a bear on the loose in Boise, Idaho.

It's true, a young black bear has been spotted in North Boise, around 24th Street and Hill Road.

According to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the bear isn't really a public safety threat, however--it is probably hungry and looking for food around homes, yards, and trash cans. While it's comforting to know that this bear isn't looking for human meat, I know that if I came across this creature in my backyard I would probably freak out a little bit...AFTER posting to Instagram, OBVIOUSLY!

I did some digging and luckily for us, the trusty National Park Service has some pointers for being around bears.

According to the National Park Service, if you see a bear make sure to give them space and don't surprise them if you can help it--they will likely run when they see or hear a human nearby.  They also say to identify yourself to the bear so that they know you're a human and not prey--nothing like a nice introduction to the neighborhood bear, am I right? Staying calm and picking up small children is also recommended.

Now, let's just say you get attacked. The National Park Service says that you should NOT play dead but rather, fight back as much as possible using any objects available to you and to concentrate on the bears face!

I should reiterate...there's no safety threat with this young black bear wandering around the City of Boise today--but hey, the more you know, right?

Local officials simply ask that if you see the bear, to call them via 911.