Mass. district delays college opening after bear sightings

Public colleges in Arlington had been delayed one hour on Monday because of bear.

No, that’s not a typo.

After reporting bear sightings Monday morning between 5:50 and 6:57 a.m. within the areas of Scituate Avenue after which Paul Revere Street and Park Avenue, Arlington police adopted up with a tweet at 8:08 a.m. advising of the varsity delay.

“The Faculty Superintendent delayed colleges 1 hour, officers are within the space of all colleges right now & the ACO is working with the Environmental Police trying to find,” the division tweeted. “Please report any sightings to police dispatch 781-643-1212.”

The sightings come in the future after a black bear was caught on video in a yard close to Chilly Springs Park in Newton. It’s unknown right now whether or not it’s the identical ursine wanderer, however with solely roughly seven miles between Newton and Arlington, it’s attainable the bear made the trek in a single day.

The Arlington incident is the newest in a collection of bear sightings in Larger Boston, together with a number of believed to be the identical bear touring by Franklin, New Bedford, Acushnet, and Fall River, amongst different cities and cities in Jap Mass.

The Massachusetts Division of Wildlife and Fisheries says that whereas the state is among the most densely populated within the nation, the growing black bear inhabitants means an enlargement of territory. Black bears, which used to reside within the Berkshires, at the moment are extra prone to crop up within the japanese a part of the state.

To keep away from black bears, MassWidlife suggests eliminating fowl feeders and eradicating trash and different attractants, equivalent to by cleansing out of doors barbecues and grills after every use. And in case you occur to return throughout a bear, don’t have interaction.

Materials from earlier Boston.com reviews by Heather Alterisio, Eli Curwin, and Melissa Ellin was used on this story.