Black bear sighting confirmed in North Texas town

A bear sighting is causing a big stir in one north Texas town.

Videos show the black bear prowling around the town of Savoy in Fannin County, where people are just as curious as the bear is.

Savoy may be home to the Cardinals, but lately, the only animal on anyone's mind is the black bear that sauntered through town this week.

Tommy Fullick owns a tire business in town. He says it’s been the talk of the town.

“Did you get to see the bear? Did you hear about the bear?” said Fullick. “It was exciting, but at the same time, glad I didn’t see it.”

Savoy Police Chief Robert Null says dispatch called him around 9:30 Wednesday night about a bear behind the post office.

“I’m thinking I don’t think this is going to be a bear, and so I called one of the deputies that responded, and he said, ‘No, it’s absolutely a bear.’ He said, ‘It ran across my car when I was on my way over there,’” recalled Null.

Surveillance cameras at a nearby convenience store also confirmed it.

In one video, the bear is seen strolling by the store. In another, it gets spooked by a car, and from a third angle, the bear is seen passing through the parking near a man seemingly unaware the animal was there.

It then crossed Main Street toward a nursing home.

"Scared one of our other co-workers because she is like, 'If it’s a baby, the mom is probably aggressive.' But we didn't think about that when we were going to go look for the bear,” explained Cecei Fierro, who works at the nursing home.

Null says the bear was last seen heading west out of town and that there have been at least two possible sightings since then between Savoy and Sherman.

It’s believed the bear may have crossed the Red River when it was low before the days of heavy rain.

“The river’s full and flowing,” said Null.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department confirmed reports of the black bear in Savoy. The department says this time of year, young bears are leaving their mothers and may end up in unusual places, like the one who found itself in the middle of a small town, where it also found a little fame.

“People are excited about it. It’s something we don’t get to see every day,” said Null.

Black bears are a protected and rare species in Texas.

If you encounter one, you should remain calm, keep your distance, and do not run or attempt to feed it.