Bear and Cub Sighting Closes Redding Park

A bear and some cubs were spotted in a Redding Park, so Police have closed the park for the day and have a warning for area residents and the public.

The mama bear and her babies were hanging out in a tree right near the entrance to Topstone Park in Redding early Thursday morning and now Redding Police have closed the park for the day, and have issued a statement to the public and to area residence through their Facebook page:

Generally, the overall risk to pets and people is very low with black bears in our area, however the greatest risk comes when you encounter a mother with cubs, which is elevated if the mother feels her cubs are threatened. As a general rule, you should maintain a healthy respect for bears and be sure to keep a safe distance from them. When a mama bear and her cubs are involved, the rule of thumb is stay away, far away, and that's why the police have a concern with this particular sighting.

Here are some helpful tips if you have a black bear encounter from the Department of Environmental Conservation:

Never Approach, Surround, or Corner a Bear - Bears will defend themselves when they feel threatened. As is the case at Topstone Park in Redding, you need to be especially cautious when there are cubs, the mama bears are extremely protective.

Never Run from a Bear- don't panic, make a loud noise, if your yelling out, use your calm voice, also slowly back away and then leave the area at once.

Use Noise to Scare away Bears from Your Campsite- If your out camping and you have an encounter, most of the time the bear will only be interested in the food you have around, yell, clap, or bang pots immediately upon sighting a bear that approaches your campsite.

Follow some of these tips and we'll all have a better chance of co-existing with our furry friends.