While heading back from a get together with friends I noticed something odd next to the road some distance ahead of me. I approached slowly not wanting to hit it with my car and as I got closer I realized I was looking at a young (but adult) black bear. The bear was sitting on its haunches next to the road seemingly oblivious to how exposed it was. Not wanting to scare it off, or push it toward the houses not far away, I inched the car slowly forward and managed to get within 10 feet of the bear before it stood up, looked at me and then calmly walked into the woods behind it.

Exhibit A: This is an EXAMPLE of the bear I saw [I didn't have a camera with me]. It was quite young and looked about this size when it walked away.

Most of the wildlife here in Happy Valley doesn't seem to be bothered by humans, they do give us a wide berth if it is available, but this was definitely a first. I was nearly back to my apartment with I saw the bear, and this area is adjacent to a nature reserve where I assume the bear lives. While a friend was very concerned about the bear and said I should have called animal control to capture the animal, I have to disagree. I probably should have alerted them to the fact there is a bear in the area, but seeing how the bear went into the woods, I saw no need for them to capture the animal (there also have been no reports of it vandalizing homes in the area).

I guess this is a major difference between growing up in a city and in the Ozarks. I remember seeing deer in "town" at various times throughout my youth and no one payed them any attention. The friend who flipped out grew up in a large city and isn't used to seeing anything but an occasional rabbit or squirrel.