Crime & Safety

Bear in Woodbury's Carver Lake Park?

The Public Safety Department says there have not been any recent reports of bear sightings in Woodbury.

A Woodbury couple on Tuesday took photos of what appear to be bear tracks at Carver Lake Park.

Denise Erickson took the photos near the entry road from Century Avenue, about 100 yards from the archery range, her husband John told Patch.

It wasn’t clear where the tracks went from there, he said. The photos were taken at about 8 a.m., and police checked the area later but rain had apparently washed the tracks away.

There have been no recent sightings of bears in Woodbury, aside from the May 28 report of tracks at Carver Lake Park, according to Michelle Okada, Public Safety Department spokeswoman.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has images of black bear paw prints on its website. They do seem to match the photos taken in Woodbury.


Other Reports

In May 2011, there was a report of a bear spotted near Woodbury Lakes. See: Updated: Black Bear Spotted in Woodbury

Following that report, a DNR official told Patch bear sightings are fairly rare in the Twin Cities area, but are more common in northern Anoka and Washington counties. However, there have been reports in Afton and along the St. Croix River.

If people see a bear, the DNR says people should leave it alone.

“Given an escape route, the bear will usually back off,” Brian Leuth, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources north metro area wildlife manager, said at the time.

In October 2012, a resident told police she spotted a bear walking toward Shawnee Park. From the : A resident at the 6100 block of Dell Lane North called police to report that she spotted a bear while looking out her front window. She said it was a medium-sized bear, 250-300 pounds, and was walking toward Shawnee Park. Police checked the area and did not see a bear, but did see 10-15 wild turkeys together, which indicated to them that there was no bear in the vicinity. 

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