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FOXBORO — A black bear found its way to a patch of woods at a busy rotary at Forbes Crossing off Foxborough Boulevard Friday morning, providing a window to wildlife for motorists and others.
Emily Barry, 31, who lives at The Sylvan apartments on Fisher Street, was with her friend, Samantha Oliveira, 31, coming through the rotary from Wendy’s in Mansfield when they spotted the bear.
Barry, a native of Belfast, Maine, said she never saw a bear while living in Maine except for at a zoo.
“To see one in Foxboro is unbelievable,” Barry said. “He was so cute I wish I could bring him home.”
The women and other bystanders stopped on Foxborough Boulevard to watch the bear. A police officer stopped his cruiser in the middle of the rotary.
“When the police officer put his lights on he stood up on his hind legs,” Barry said of the bear.
“It’s the coolest thing to see up close,” said Oliveira, a Foxboro native who now lives in Coventry, R.I.
A bear spotted near the BayCoast Bank on Foxborough Boulevard in Foxboro.
Nate Eckerson
The bear also provided excitement for workers and customers at Starbucks, which is right off the rotary.
“We all saw it from the drive-thru,” said Delenn Martin, 25, of Attleboro, who was working the window.
“One of our regulars went out to try to follow it,” Martin said.
At the adjacent BayCoast Bank, Nate Eckerson, 35, of Attleboro, was talking to a teller when someone said the bear was outside. “At one point,” Eckerson said, “it seemed about to climb over the jersey barrier and come up to the ATM window.”
Eckerson said he ran outside to the parking lot to watch the bear and was amazed to be in the right place at the right time.
“I was thinking how we’ve become accustomed to having deer and wild turkeys in our neighborhoods. Yesterday I saw a coyote run through my side yard. Now it seems bears are joining the mix. It’s great to see so much biodiversity in our community. I just hope the bears leave my trash alone,” Eckerson said.
Police responded to the area around 11:15 a.m. after the bear was reported north of the plaza near the Lodge at Foxborough apartment complex and Jake n Joe’s Sports Grille.
The apartment complex, restaurant and shopping plaza are near busy Route 140 and Interstate 95.
A bear was also spotted earlier passing through South Walnut Street about a half-mile south of Forbes Crossing, according to a social media post.
It is unknown whether it was the same bear.
State wildlife experts say bears are becoming more common in the area as some migrate from the western part of the state where they are more common in rural areas.
Last month, a black bear was sighted near the Jackson School on Route 106 in Plainville and in nearby Foxboro. A bear was also spotted at the end of April in East Mansfield.
Police and wildlife experts warn people to not engage with the bears, which are generally not aggressive toward humans.
They recommend taking down bird feeders and securing trash barrels.
