Black bear caught on camera roaming Sandy Springs neighborhood as Georgia DNR urges residents to remove bird feeders

A Sandy Springs homeowner captured video of a black bear wandering through her yard after knocking over bird feeders. Georgia wildlife officials say bear sightings in metro Atlanta are becoming more common and offer tips to keep the animals away.

A Sandy Springs homeowner is warning neighbors after security video captured a black bear wandering through her yard in the Mountaire Springs community. The sighting comes as Georgia wildlife officials say encounters with bears are becoming more common across metro Atlanta.

Kathy Mowery told CBS Atlanta it is the second bear she has spotted in the neighborhood in recent years.

Mowery said construction has become increasingly common in the area. In the video, the bear can be seen knocking over bird feeders before eating the seed inside.

"It's really a high-calorie food source for them," said Blake Graber, an urban wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. "If they seek it out, it's because they've had it before, and they know they can get a good, quick, free lunch out of it."

Graber said this is the time of year when young black bears leave their mothers and begin searching for territory, often traveling south from the North Georgia mountains. He added that continued development and population growth are also reducing wildlife habitat, bringing bears into closer contact with people.

"As urbanization and human population expansion continue to grow here in the metro Atlanta area, that's kind of just eating up all of the space that we have for our native wildlife," Graber said. "So they're kind of getting pushed closer and closer to humans—not just bears."

Despite the increase in sightings, Graber said black bears are generally not aggressive.

"Black bears are kind of just like a big raccoon," he said. "They're pretty timid, pretty docile animals. As long as you assert your presence and make sure they know you're in control of your own property, they'll figure that out pretty quickly and move on."

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources recommends several steps to reduce the chances of attracting bears:

• Remove bird feeders from spring through fall.
• Secure trash cans and avoid leaving them outside overnight.
• If a bear enters your yard, make loud noises or spray it with a garden hose to encourage it to leave.

Officials say anyone who encounters a bear in an area where it does not belong can contact the Georgia Department of Natural Resources for assistance. 

Additional bear safety information is available through BearWise.