by Erin Johnson
Thisweek Newspapers

On Oct. 1, John Ranheim and his wife, Annette, went for an after dinner walk in Patrick Eagan Park when they spotted a black bear on the path in front of them.

"It was pretty surreal," John said. "It's the last thing you would expect to see on a walk."

It was just after 7 p.m., but still light enough to see the animal about 100 yards ahead, Annette said.

"I said, ‘John! It's a bear!' " she said.

"And I said, ‘It can't be a bear. We're in Eagan,' " John said.

The bear didn't notice them, the couple said, and continued to sniff around.

"We just kind of retreated. We didn't want to startle it," John said. "We were kind of stuck. We had a long hike ahead of us to get out of there."

John called 911, and officers arrived within minutes to escort them out of the park, he said. By then the bear had fled.

The next day, park staff found paw prints along the south shore of McCarthy Lake in Patrick Eagan Park. The photos were sent to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, which confirmed that the prints were bear tracks.

So far, there have been no other confirmed sightings of the bear. Eagan police are asking anyone who sees the bear in Patrick Eagan Park to call 911.

"The couple who saw it described it as a smaller bear, fairly timid and mellow," said Eagan Police Chief Jim McDonald. "Even though there has only been one sighting and the small bear took no aggressive action, we want the public to be aware."

There are no plans to trap the bear, he said.

Bryan Lueth, an urban wildlife specialist with the Minnesota Department of Resources, said that black bears are not known to be aggressive, and it is likely the bear will move on to a more rural area.

Bear sightings are more common in the north metro, he said, which reports about 10 to 20 sightings each year, usually in the spring or summer.

Bear sightings in the south metro are very unusual, he said. A mother bear and her two cubs were spotted in an Eagan backyard three years ago, which the DNR believed wandered up from nearby Fort Snelling State Park.

"It's a little strange. Most bears have already hunkered down in one spot for the winter," Lueth said. "It sounds like this is a young bear looking for that place. Our best hope is that it's just passing through."

Bears typically begin hibernating around this time of year, he said.

"It's gone undetected up to this point, so maybe it has a healthy fear of humans," he said. "Our philosophy is, ‘let's give it every chance to get out of here.' "

The DNR urges those who live around the park to not leave garbage or feed pets outdoors, and to take bird feeders inside at night.

Park visitors should not eat or leave food along trails, and should walk on trails during daytime hours. If you must walk at night or early in the morning, carry a flashlight, be aware of your surroundings and make noise when approaching blind curves. Dogs should be left at home or kept on a leash.

If you do encounter a bear, "Leave it alone," Lueth said. "Make sure the bear is aware that you are there by making noise and give it plenty of room to escape."

John Ranheim said he can understand why the bear was hanging out in Patrick Eagan Park.

"It's a beautiful, old park," he said. "I could see where maybe a bear would enjoy all the cool little insects in there."

Annette said that although the couple has lived in Eagan for 20 years, they had only recently discovered the park.

"But I probably won't be going into any parks for awhile," she said.

For more information, visit the DNR's Web site at www.dnr.state.mn.us.

Erin Johnson is at eagan.thisweek@ecm-inc.com.

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