ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – One Albuquerque family getting ready for the day Tuesday morning saw an unusual visitor at the front door: a black bear. This comes as wildlife officials said a lack of food in the mountains is bringing more wildlife down into the Metro, leading to more sightings in the middle of residential areas.
New Mexico Dept. of Game and Fish reports an increase in bear sightings this year
A black bear took a stroll Tuesday morning through an Albuquerque Northeast Heights neighborhood and peered into one family’s windows. “At first I thought it was a lost dog. As we opened the door to go outside, I noticed it was a rather large black bear,” said Maria Maruffi, who spotted the bear.
Maruffi said it was her kids’ first day of school, and normally she likes to take their pictures outside, but on Tuesday, her family’s front porch was occupied. “We’ve been hearing lots of news stories about them recently, but they’ve been at the base of the mountain, east of Tramway, in the Foothills area. So I was a little surprised to see him a little bit further down in the city,” said Maruffi.
Earlier this month, a bear sighting in the Sandia Heights neighborhood escalated when a man shot and wounded a bear. That bear and one cub survived, but her other cub died while New Mexico wildlife department officers were trying to rescue it…