The bear was a juvenile black bear that was spotted running through downtown New Bern on Thursday afternoon, and the reports indicate it was an actual wild bear, not one of the city’s fiberglass statues. A related post also says it was seen near the waterfront, even swimming toward the yachts before moving on.

What’s known

  • It was seen in downtown New Bern in the afternoon.
  • The bear was described as juvenile.
  • One report says it was near the Outback/hotel area by the water and swam toward downtown.

Context

New Bern is known for its bear-themed public art, so the phrase can sound like it’s about a statue at first. In this case, though, the news coverage is about a real bear moving through town.

Bottom line

As of the reports I found, the bear’s appearance was treated as a brief wildlife sighting, not a major incident, and the available coverage does not say it was injured or captured.