Black bear spotted in Healdsburg

An unusual caller stopped by central Healdsburg on an early morning visit Friday: a black bear who wandered through town just blocks off the main square.

The bear was first reported running north on First Street just up from the Russian River’s edge at 2:13 a.m., Healdsburg emergency dispatcher Linda Haviland said.

But over the 45 or ?50 minutes that police officers monitored its sojourn, it sauntered closer to downtown. It passed through the back parking lot of the Police Department’s Center Street station before heading out of town east on Matheson Street toward Fitch Mountain, Haviland said.

Bears are not entirely uncommon in Sonoma County, though they’re usually detected in wilder, forested locales such as rural west Sonoma County communities and state and regional parks - far from urban or developed areas.

Haviland said California Fish and Wildlife personnel were notified of the sighting, but “as long as it’s not aggressive in any way, we just leave it alone.”

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 707-521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.