After Montco sighting, injured bear euthanized

For the second time in a week, a black bear roaming the Philadelphia suburbs has been euthanized after being found injured, state officials said.

Around 2 a.m. Friday, a male bear was spotted in Horsham Township, Montgomery County, near the Wawa at County Line Road and Route 611, said Cheryl Trewella, spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Game Commission. It was later seen in nearby woods.

The bear was initially sighted Wednesday in Chalfont and New Britain Boroughs in Bucks County, Trewella said.

Finding a trail of blood, police and game officers suspected the bear was injured. The bear was having difficulty getting around, Trewella said.

When authorities confirmed the bear had suffered a broken back left leg, an officer euthanized the animal. It most likely had been hit by a car, Trewella said.

"When you put bear in these very urban areas and they are running because of lots of people - it just happens," she said.

The bear, which weighed about 250 pounds, had been tagged in New Jersey. At this time of year, young males out to establish territories make a large loop, which goes unnoticed in rural areas. The size of the loop depends on the bear.

"These guys have been known to travel a pretty good distance," Trewella said.

On Sunday, a black bear found in Bensalem with similar injuries was also euthanized.

Trewella said there had been a number of bear sightings in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

"It is these young males moving," she said. Bear-hunting season, she added, "is much more quiet."