A black bear spotted running through a field in a Phoenix suburb on Tuesday morning has put fearful residents on the edge and hunters on the lookout, a state wildlife official said Tuesday. The elusive animal's latest sighting was reportedly the second one in a 24-hour period timeline, Fox 10 reported.
Residents reported spotting the bear twice between 3:30 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. in east Mesa, Arizona Game and Fish spokeswoman Amy Burnett said, adding that wildlife personnel had stopped actively searching for the bear near the Mesa airport after the 3:30 a.m. sighting.
"It's called off until we have another confirmed sighting," Burnett said, adding that since bears are typically known to move around in the evenings, a sighting in the middle of the day would be unlikely.
According to video footage captured by TV news helicopters on Monday, the bear was seen bounding across an alfalfa field on the outskirts of Mesa, and then standing within feet of a game warden wielding a tranquilizer gun.
However, the bear disappeared by entering a former General Motors test site filled with fields, shrubbery and trees.
"There are a couple of guys with tranquilizers, another guy with a cage, he is in full camo and ready to catch this thing," said Devin Burdine, who described the site as too large to search.
"I am out looking for the bear, more eyes and help out if I could," citizen Allan Brown told FOX 10. "Basically they say in all the survivalist books, you have to get bigger than it and if it still charges you, take the first strike because they normally run away because they are so skittish," he said.
If captured, officials hope to relocate the animal to a more suitable habitat, the Associated Press reported.
The bear, 2-years-old and approximately 125 lbs., was described as a wild animal that was running from people and not acting aggressively, Game and Fish officials said.
It's unknown where the bear came from or how long it has been in the area. Black bears are the only species of bears living in Arizona, with an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 of them in the state, according to wildlife officials.
Meanwhile, anyone with information or a sighting has been advised to contact Game and Fish or local police immediately.
"Do not approach it," Burnett warned. "Don't try to feed it."
