Bear seen in Pärnu likely woken from hibernation by mild weather

A bear was spotted in central Pärnu at the weekend, Maaleht reported, unusual both for the setting, in the middle of a town, and the time of year – as bears would normally be hibernating in January.
The animal was spotted moving near the Pärnu yacht club early on Sunday morning.
A local taxi driver was one of the first to spot the bear, saying: "I came from Vee tänav when an animal came up to me at the end of the bridge."
"The bear ran from the pedestrian side and turned around the corner to the parking lot, through which I also moved on. From there, along Kalda tänav, he went with a nice gallop," the taxi driver, who gave his name as Andre, went on.
A few moments later, the bear turned away from Kalda tänav toward some newer apartment buildings, at which point Andre lost sight of it.
"The incident was reported to a police patrol who was standing nearby," Andre added.
"I was trying to get even a blurred photo because, frankly, if someone told me they had seen a bear on a bridge in downtown Pärnu in January, I wouldn't have believed it," he went on, adding that it was likely a younger specimen.
Nature expert and hunter Peeter Hussar told Maaleht the bear likely entered the town by swimming across the river, adding that while it was currently on the move, it will most likely go back for a further hibernation period.
Hibernation for bears typically lasts until March or April, with females and cubs emerging a little later than males.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte