HEBER SPRINGS, Ark.(KTHV) - A black bear is creating a stir in Heber Springs. The bear ran through town and a nearby campground this past weekend.
As the Fourth of July nears, it's what everyone's talking about at this holiday hot spot.
The bear was last seen at Dam Site Park around about 5:45 p.m. on Sunday. Ever since then, campers like Judy Parish say they're taking caution.
"We started running in the house and I said, hey there's a bear out here."
Parish says she was sitting outside her RV Sunday night when a large animal wandered into Dam Site Park campground.
"We had heard there were bears loose up here, but we just thought that's just something somebody started, because we're in the woods. I guess it was proof, because we saw him."
Chief Park Ranger at Greers Ferry, Joe Harper says there were multiple sightings of the bear near the lake on Sunday. "Sunday morning about 11, we started receiving 911 calls to the local dispatch about a bear sighting in the town of Heber Springs."
Harper says the bear ran through the entire Dam Site Park, including campsites.
"Didn't cause us any problems. Didn't try to approach anybody. Pretty much just trying to get away at that point."
Camper Brooklyn Miller says her mom snapped a photo of the bear.
"We saw a bear and it was black and it was beside the road 20 feet away from us."
Brooklyn says she's been on the lookout ever since.
"I'm scared it's going to come in our campsite."
And Judy Parish says she's worried about the same thing.
"We're just not letting any food get on the ground or anything and not letting the dogs out."
But Brooklyn and her brother admit it makes a great story to tell their friends.
"That we saw a bear in the wild for the first time."
Harper says sightings of bears typically increase this time of year as bears search for food, a mate and explore new territory.
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