EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — The man who called Eugene, Ore., police to report a startling animal encounter near a bike trail says he saw a bear. But nearby furniture store owner George Cole wonders if it was really Sissy, the brown sheep he allows to graze along a creek just south of his store.
The police report from last Saturday evening quotes the caller as saying the bear was not aggressive, and quickly disappeared into the brush.
Police tell the Register-Guard they found no evidence of a bear when they responded to the call. Officers notified state Department of Fish and Wildlife officials. State wildlife biologist Brian Wolfer won’t say he doubts the trail walker’s story. But he does wonder how a bear could vanish without being seen by more people. And he adds that by early December, most bears are already settled into their winter dens.
___
Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com
