Black bear captured and relocated in North Reading

A black bear was captured and relocated in North Reading Sunday evening, police said. 

The North Reading Police Department received a report of a bear attacking chickens around 8:30 a.m., followed by several other reports in the areas of Haverhill Street and Gowing Lane over the course of the day. North Reading Police contacted Massachusetts Environmental Police to assist via mutual aid.

Later in the day, North Reading officers and members of the Environmental Police responded to another reported bear sighting near Hill Street, as they “consulted on the best course of action to protect the community,” the North Reading police said in a statement. 

Environmental police immobilized and captured the bear around 7 p.m., relocating it to a nearby wooded location.

The bear is believed to be the same animal spotted wandering through Middlesex County and Essex County communities in the past few weeks. However, authorities have no way of confirming this fact.

North Reading Police Chief Michael Murphy urged residents in the area to report sightings to the department, rather than track the bear themselves. 

“Thank you to the Environmental Police for their response and handling of this incident,” Murphy said in the statement. “Bears do not necessarily pose a threat to the community. But we ask residents who see a bear to not interact with it or track it, but to call our department immediately.”

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