WEST POTTSGROVE PA – The township has a bear problem, it says in a ReadyMontco alert issued Friday night (May 2, 2025) at around 9:30 to its subscribers.
“There have been multiple confirmed black bear sightings throughout the township,” West Pottsgrove’s message warned. It’s no cub roaming around, either. The bear is said by officials to weigh between 300 and 400 pounds.
It was last seen in the area of Sylvan Drive in Stowe, they added. According to a township Facebook post, one sighting placed it near West Pottsgrove Elementary School.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission, whose officers are accustomed to respond in such circumstances, has been notified. However, the township message said it was unlikely commission representatives would arrive until sometime Saturday (May 3).
The township offered no reports of human or other animal encounters with the bear. It nonetheless urged area residents “to stay indoors, and keep pets indoors as well.” It also asked recipients of the alert to share its information with neighbors.
A Growing Bear Population
Primarily because the bear population has grown substantially, black bear sightings within Pennsylvania have become more common over several decades. The commission reports the total statewide population is currently estimated to be about 19,000 animals. “In the 1970s, there were fewer than 5,000” within the Commonwealth, it adds.
In southeastern Pennsylvania, with its large urban centers and agricultural areas, sightings of bears involve mostly transient animals, the commission says. They’re on the move, looking for more “sufficient forest habitat.”
As a result of the bear population increase, the commission acknowledges it uses “regulated hunting” as a management tool. Its goals, depending upon local and regional animal count trends as well as incidents of “human-bear conflicts,” is to ensure public safety and bear population stability.
About ReadyMontco Alerts
Montgomery County’s ReadyMontco has been operated by the county Department of Public Safety since June 2015, using technology supplied by Virginia-based Everbridge Inc. It “delivers alerts about severe weather and other important events in Montgomery County to the devices of your choice,” a department webpage says.
Signing up for ReadyMontco is free, and available to county residents. Notices can be sent by emails, text messages, push notifications, or phone calls. Learn more online about the program and how to register.
Photo from Getty Images on Unsplash+, used by Travels With The Post under license
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