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200-pound black bear makes another appearance in Cranberry Township

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Less than two weeks after a bear was spotted in a tree in the parking lot of a Cranberry Township restaurant, it has reappeared.

On Dec. 27 authorities responded to the Buffalo Wild Wings in Cranberry after reports of a bear hanging out in a small tree in the parking lot.

When officials arrived, the bear jumped out of the tree and ran into nearby woods.

Public Safety Director Jeff Schueler said the bear was spotted in the parking lot of the Starbucks on Freedom Road on Thursday, and then again outside the Sherwood Oaks Retirement Community off Rochester Road on Friday.

“We’ve gotten a few calls from people who have seen him at Sherwood Oaks and at Starbucks,” Schueler said.

Schueler said the bear likely is the same 200-pound black bear that climbed the tree outside Buffalo Wild Wings.

“That bear has pretty expensive taste,” said Mike Kaminski, who saw the bear in a neighbor's yard. “I thought it was a big dog, then I thought a pony, and then I realized it was a bear.”

Anyone who sees the bear is asked to report it to police, and officials ask that people don’t feed the bear.

“Cranberry is a great place to live. He must like it here, too,” Schueler said.

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