Black bear spotted in a popular Lake Norman park. Police urge caution
A black bear was spotted roaming Huntersville on Tuesday near a popular public park, and police urged people to stay calm and slowly back away if they see it.
“While we know it’s beary tempting to snap a selfie or offer snacks, please resist the urge,” pun-inclined police said on social media. “It’s Not Fuzzy Wuzzy!”
The bear was seen near North Mecklenburg Park in the 16100 block of Old Statesville Road, police said.
The nearly 100-acre park includes mountain biking-walking trails, playgrounds, shelters and lighted baseball-softball and soccer fields and tennis and basketball courts.
Black bears typically aren’t dangerous to people and scamper off if they smell their scent, wildlife officers say.
Still, “this isn’t a Disney movie,” Huntersville police said, urging people not to approach the bear.
And don’t feed it, as bears “don’t need drive-thru service,” the department said.
“Don’t run – unless you want a bear doing radar on you — (and) don’t leave food or trash outside – that’s how we get repeat offenders,” police said.
Call Mecklenburg County Animal Services at 704-336-7600 or the Huntersville Police Department at 704-464-5400, if needed.
“Remember, he’s not breaking the law — just bear-ly passing through,” police said. “Let’s give him space and stay safe! NC Wildlife has been made aware of this situation.”
Other black bear sightings
Bears have been reported in the lake region for years during spring, most recently in May in people’s yards off Alcove Road in Mooresville, between Interstate 77 exits 31 and 33.
Around the same time, a resident’s home surveillance video spotted a bear traipsing past his backyard basketball court off Commodore Loop/Stutts Road, several miles off Brawley School Road at I-77 exit 35.
This time of year, black bears are just passing through the region on their way elsewhere, state Wildlife Resources Officer Sampson Parker told The Charlotte Observer in May 2024, after a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police boat patrol unit spotted a bear swimming in the lake.