A black bear has become quite the celebrity in Massachusetts where people are tracking his every move along the south coast in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the star.
The young bear, who is around two years old, has captivated the locals with his inquisitive nature and has been affectionally named Buster.
He has been wandering from town to town rummaging through backyards and treating himself to seed mixes from bird feeders.
But his visit to Plymouth on Saturday drew lots of fanfare with residents coming together to report sightings and following his movements.
And social media has become flooded with memes of the bear enjoying the town’s top sights with locals saying ‘Buster gets around’.
A black bear has become quite the celebrity in Massachusetts where people are tracking his every move along the south coast in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the star
But Buster’s visit to Plymouth on Saturday drew lots of fanfare with residents coming together to report sightings and following his movements
Social media has become flooded with memes of Buster enjoying the town’s top sights
The first sighting of the 80-100 pound black bear was reported close to an elementary school on Bourne Road shortly before 12pm.
Plymouth Police Department were quick to release an alert which to say ‘Buster the Bear is here’ and shared recommendations on what to do.
It told locals not to invite Buster to their Memorial Day picnics and not to try and cuddle with the bear and to remove outside food sources.
Social media users were quick to track the bear’s every move and he was spotted casually strolling through someone’s back garden at around 10.30am.
He was then seen lurking on the grass outside a CrossFit at 2pm before he was sighted in the woods near a Home Depot.
His whereabouts were closely monitored on a Facebook page titled ‘Where is NE Black Bear’ and people continue to report the latest sightings.
Kristen Sass, 36, looked out of her window after learning Buster had arrived in the town and saw the bear behind her home.
She called her children over to see and they watched him navigate the path into their yard and walk around the back of the house.
He tried to get into the trash but failed and decided to move on after just five minutes.
‘It’s exciting, but holy moly. That’s an actual bear,’ Sass told the Boston Globe.
‘It felt unreal. I never thought that we would see one at home. … I don’t really see him being a problem. I just hope everyone gives him his space.’
And Ken Scott, 64, who lives in a cottage with his wife surrounded by woodland, was at a Memorial Day barbecue which was gatecrashed by Buster.
He was in the middle of a discussion about the bear when he heard his friend, who had gone out to flip steaks, shout: ‘The bear is here! The bear is here!’
Scott thought he was joking until he took a look over the porch and saw Buster heading towards his house.
The couple had a family friend at their home who was unaware the bear was nearby so he jumped in the car with his wife to go and warn her.
‘That’s when Melissa and I both started filming, and the little guy actually just walked right up to us,’ Scott said.
The young bear, who is around two years old, has captivated the locals with his inquisitive nature
He has been wandering from town to town rummaging through backyards and treating himself to seed mixes from bird feeders
Mock up pictures of Buster sightseeing in Plymouth were very popular among the community
‘He came within 10 feet of the porch. He just sauntered up there, like without a care in the world.’
He added that seeing ‘everybody’s little pet’ so close was a ‘once-in-a-lifetime encounter that you only dream about.’
Mock up pictures of Buster the bear sightseeing in Plymouth were very popular among the community.
In the images, he was seen visiting Plymouth Rock, sitting on the Mayflower ship which brought the pilgrims to the town in 1620, welcoming people visitors while relaxing on giant chair and hopping off a trolley near the waterfront.
Jason Higgins, Captain of professional standards at Plymouth Police Department, has never heard of any reports of a bear sighting during his 26-year career.
But he said Environmental Police briefed officers about a scenario like this just a couple of months ago.
‘I think it’s something new,’ he said. ‘And the bear certainly is pretty cute-looking and cuddly.’
Buster is said to be solely responsible for dozens of bear sightings since May 14.
Dave Wattles, black bear and furbearer biologist for MassWildlife, said: ‘We still think it is only the one. Certainly the one is accounting for the trail of sightings that most have been following.’
Bear sightings are being tracked across the south coast by WBSM, a radio station based in New Bedford.
And Buster may have moved on from Plymouth though as there was a sighting of a bear investigating a chicken coop 20 miles away in Lakeville on Tuesday.
Officials are not sharing his exact location to stop people from pursuing the animal as it forced the bear into more urban and populated areas.
Buster is seen sitting on the Mayflower ship which brought the pilgrims to the town in 1620
An image of the bear visiting Plymouth rock has made residents laugh
Black bears sometimes venture into Eastern Massachusetts but this is the first time one has entered Plymouth
Black bears are not known to be aggressive to humans but dangerous situations can arise from people who get too close.
Wattles said: ‘If that animal feels threatened it can react defensively. We hope that doesn’t happen.’
Black bears sometimes venture into Eastern Massachusetts but this is the first time one has entered Plymouth.
Although this could become increasingly common as the state’s bear population continues to grow, according to Wattles.
The bear population in Worcester County is an issue with the number of females rising which leads to more bears, usually males, moving up to 100 miles away after leaving their mothers between 16 and 17 months old.
Officials are planning to let Buster explore and will only take action if he ventures into a ‘very, very highly developed location’.
