Black bears are not uncommon to New York State. Sometimes, they're seen in neighborhoods and busy streets as they wander looking for food.

The New York State DEC recommends that people do not approach bears and leave them be if they see them in a residential area. It's rare for a bear to chase someone in these settings but it happened a few days ago in Elmira.

An Elmira resident was reportedly chased by a black bear that has been spotted recently in numerous locations around Elmira over recent weeks.

The black bear ran towards a resident's car and then the bear chased another resident into a backyard and even damaging the yard fence along the way.

The police and animal control were called to the scene and beeped at the bear to try and steer the bear away from the path of residents, but that's when the bear chased a woman into her backyard as she took safety.

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Jeremy Hurst, with the New York State DEC, says that this time of year (the months leading up to winter), bears are looking for anything they can find.

The DEC says to make sure there is no food left outside your home, such as emptying bird feeders and not leaving trash with food outdoors.

There's no word on what happened with this Elmira bear but I know that we've had one spotted up in Clarence this summer and a few sightings in Depew and Cheektowaga last year, so they're around Western New York from time to time during the summer and fall.

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