Black bear sighting in Dallas Co. sparks safety concerns

From the West Alabama Newsroom–

A bear sighting in the Selfield area of Dallas County is raising safety concerns for people who live there.

Stella Perry is sounding the alarm after a recent encounter with a Black bear at her home on County Road 935.

“I told my neighbors, all my neighbors. Some of them, they believed me and some of them didn’t. I said Lord help the one’s that don’t believe, cause it’s real,” she said.

Perry says she was looking out of her living room window when she saw the bear in her front yard.

“When he looked up and see’d me, his ears stood up on his head and he came charging after me. I couldn’t do nothing but stand there and call on the Lord. I was so scared, I couldn’t move, I couldn’t believe it. That was my first time seeing a real live bear. Those things are big and ugly. They will scare you just looking at them. I ran in the bathroom. When I came back out, he had went away.”

Wildlife officials say if you encounter a black bear:

Do not run from the bear.

Avoid direct eye contact with the bear.

Make yourself look big and move away slowly.

And report the sighting to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

“Right now, I can’t sleep at night. Every time I close my eyes, that’s what I see,” Perry said.

For more tips and information about black bear safety go to outdooralabama.com