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Date Published: 12/10/2022

ARCHIVED - Bear-raising: taxi driver spots bear strolling through Spanish city streets

ARCHIVED ARTICLE -

Local Police in Ponferrada managed to herd the animal away from the centre

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Bear-raising: taxi driver spots bear strolling through Spanish city streets

A stunned taxi driver doing his rounds in the Castilla y Leon city of Ponferrada made a panicked call to the police on Tuesday morning after spotting a huge bear strolling through the streets.

Once the animal had been guided to safety and pedestrians and drivers were no longer considered to be at risk, the Ponferrada Local Police posted an astonishing video of the incident on social media and explained that the bear had been directed to the Mount Pajariel area. Bears are typically very wary of people and will avoid contact if possible, but officers still warned locals to remain on their guard in case it returns.

"This morning a taxi driver warned of the presence of a bear, which he records in the centre of the city. Our patrols located it near the river and guided it towards Mount Pajariel. Although they are skittish animals in the presence of humans, we ask for maximum caution,” Ponferrada Local Police wrote on their Twitter page.

With natural habitats dwindling and food becoming ever more scarce, the presence of wild animals in densely populated areas of Spain is more common than people might think. Last year, a 75-year-old woman was mauled by a bear while taking a walk near her home in Asturias, while during the summer, an enormous wild boar shocked bathers when it casually emerged from the surf on a Malaga beach.

🐻💨📹
Esta madrugada un taxista alertó de la presencia de un 🧸, al que graba por el centro de la ciudad.
Nuestras patrullas lo localizan cerca del río y lo guían hacia el Monte Pajariel.
Aunque son animales asustadizos ante la presencia humana, rogamos máxima precaución. pic.twitter.com/ux1C5puxT2
— Policía Municipal de Ponferrada (@092ponferrada) October 11, 2022

Image: Pixabay

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