Black Bear Sighted in The Town of New Castle
A black bear was sighted this afternoon in the vicinity of Roaring Brook Road near Chappaqua Crossing in The Town of New Castle, according to an advisory released by the New Castle Police Department.
In the advisory, The New Castle Police highlighted that, in alignment with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) guidelines, bears will only be encouraged to leave the area should they create a public disturbance, act aggressively towards a human or pet, attempt to enter a home or become injured and unable to move freely.
Should a bear create any problem in the local community, the New Castle Police will respond. If necessary, they will call in the NYSDEC for assistance.
This sighting comes just a couple of weeks after Bear 211 — a black bear that shuttled between towns in Connecticut and Armonk in Westchester County and had a Facebook page dedicated to tracking its whereabouts — was struck by a vehicle on Route 136 and later euthanized.
The NYSDEC noted that while black bears are natural to the New York and Westchester County area, residents can take precautions to avoid contact.
Because bears are more likely to seek out human food sources during the spring and summer due to scarce natural food sources, especially during periods of drought, residents should not feed bears under any circumstances.
Additionally, they should clean up areas around garbage and only put garbage out on pick-up days, stop adding refuse to compost piles and move it as far away from the house as possible, take down bird feeders, feed pets inside the house, store any pet food indoors and refrain from cooking with outdoor grills.
To learn more about how to reduce human-bear contact, check out the NYSDEC reducing human-bear conflict page, which includes more information and bear safety tips.
Bailey has journalism experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties and New York City on topics related to LGBTQ+ issues, women’s rights, climate change, the environment, and local politics. They have been a full-time reporter with Examiner Media since July 2021. Read more details from Bailey’s bio here. Read Bailey’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/baileyhosfelt/
