On the move: Bear that delayed school in Arlington spotted at farm in neighboring town

ARLINGTON, Mass. — A bear that delayed the start of school in Arlington on Monday morning was spotted hours later at a farm in a neighboring town, officials said.

Following multiple reports of a black bear wandering the town’s streets, Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Elizabeth C. Homan announced that the start of classes would be pushed back until at least 9 a.m. as a precaution.

“Arlington Public Schools will be delayed by one hour this morning due to bear sightings in the area,” Homan said in a letter to the community.

There were reported sightings in the area of Paul Revere Road and Park Avenue, as well as Scituate Street at Spring Street, according to the Arlington Police Department.

Betty Tassinari can attest.

“A lady in a car pulls up and starts yelling, there’s a bear in your yard,” Tassinari said. “We said, yeah, okay, sure. And she started laughing and said, no, there’s a bear.”

Indeed there was a bear in Betty’s backyard on Paul Revere Road.

“So he had climbed up the wall, into the backyard,” she said. “All I can really remember is that it had a big head.”

But the bear didn’t linger. Betty said the animal quickly fled into the wooded area that forms the boundary to her yard.  It’s a strip of forest that goes all the way to Lexington, she said.

Bear that delayed school in Arlington spotted at farm in neighboring town CREDIT: ROB AT WILSON'S FARM

Shortly after 2 p.m., police shared a photo and video of the alleged bear in question at Wilson’s Farm in Lexington.

“The most recent sighting of the bear was at Wilson’s Farm in Lexington,” the department said.

Police began getting calls about the bear before 6 AM. That prompted the town to send out a reverse 9-1-1 call to residents, advising them to keep pets inside and stay alert if out and about.

“Residents should stay inside until further information is available,” Homan said. “Please be watchful for updates over the next few hours.”

Bear sightings in suburbia have become somewhat common in Massachusetts. In recent weeks, bears have also been spotted in Newton and Franklin. Fortunately, only black bears call our state home — and Mass Wildlife estimates their population at around 4,500.

Black bears can be quite large — even exceeding 600 pounds. But unlike more aggressive brown and polar bears, black bears tend to shy away from humans. The North American Bear Center estimates black bears kill less than one person a year in the U.S. — and injurious confrontations are most often defensive in nature. Black bears generally do not attack humans, the Center said — though they might approach out of curiosity or because there’s a scent of food.

Lilith Adams of Arlington was sort of hoping to run into the bear — because she wanted to pet it.

But wildlife experts recommend not trying to touch bears because the gesture could be interpreted as an attack.

Adams worried the bear might get injured in Arlington.

“Especially this intersection,” Adams said, pointing to Park Avenue and Paul Revere Road. “It’s not safe for a bear. I hope it gets somewhere safe. I hope nobody bothers it. I don’t know, it’s just doing its thing. I feel like it’s a lot of hubbub about something that if we leave it alone, it just won’t mess with us, you know?”

Anyone who sees a bear is urged to contact the police immediately.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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