THIRD Black Bear Sighting in NE Iowa in Two Weeks [WATCH]
On May 6, a sighting of a black bear took place in Dubuque that threw Iowans into a frenzy.
Bears don't have a significant population in the Hawkeye State and aren't considered to be a species that's local. So, when there's one sighting, it's pretty surprising.
Dubuque is now up to its third video being released of residents seeing a black bear in their city. It appears the bear (or bears) are getting braver and braver, as this one was caught on camera in a residential neighborhood. Check out the video shared by KWWL:
Despite the three sightings, it remains unclear as to whether or not this is the same bear in the Dubuque area. Bears are solitary animals. KWWL reports that the bear or bears seen in Dubuque have "been after seed, pet food, and garbage."
Today, we shared a story regarding what the Iowa DNR says you should do if you ever run into one of these wild creatures. You can read that here.
One key piece of that article says this: "And even though the chances are slim, if you do run into a bear, officials remind you to NOT run. You should back slowly away while facing the bear, making loud noises to let it know you're there."
Here's the original video from Jason Wirtz, a Dubuque resident who caught the first of the three bear sightings, with this one eating out of a bird feeder on his property:
And here is the second video caught by Jodi Culbertson, where a bear was roaming and sniffing around a collection of dumpsters outside Sunnycrest Manor, located at 2375 Roosevelt Street.
Culbertson said the video was taken at around 2 a.m. on the morning of May 8 or 9.