A bear was recently spotted in a Durham neighborhood.

The Feng family's Blink camera caught it near Sandy Creek Park. It appears to be a black bear, a species that is increasingly moving into the Triangle.

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"I was kinda glad he didn't break in, that was my first thought!" Xinyu Feng said. "It detects the motion: person or vehicle. But this just said motion, that's why he checked it out."

Feng showed his children, 8-year-old Adam and 6-year-old Avery, the bear video.

"I felt surprised because I've never seen a bear at our house before!" Adam said.

"Everyone was really freaked out and surprised," Avery said.

The family notified their neighbors and the nearby school.

The bear sighting in Durham comes at a time when the state is expanding an awareness campaign that’s already well known in the mountains. The campaign, known as  BearWise®, comes as bear populations are growing statewide, and breeding populations of bears are inching closer to the Triangle.

Through the campaign, state officials are encouraging people in Raleigh, Durham, and the rest of the Piedmont to learn how to live with bears.

According to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, the state is home to more than 20,000 bears, a population that’s growing at a rate of about 3% each year. Already bears are living and mating in Vance, Warren, Franklin, Edgecomb, Wilson, and more counties, and are expanding their range by about 3-to-5 miles each year. That’s leading to more conflict with humans, and more calls to wildlife control officers. 

To avoid that conflict, the Wildlife Resource Commission is encouraging people to be “Bear Wise” and follow guidelines laid out by state wildlife agency experts from across the nation. 

The tips include rinsing out garbage cans, keeping smelly food scraps frozen till trash day, and taking in bird feeders when there’s bear activity close to your home. 

District Biologist Joe Folta says, “The bear sited in Durham disappeared as quickly as it appeared, which is often the case if they don't find an easy source of food. Folks should determine why the bear is there. Is there a food source or attractant? If the bear seems to be intent on staying, scare it away. Most bears can be scared by simply making loud noises.”

NC Wildlife's biologist Greg Batts says this is the time of year where we see transient bears in our area during the breeding season, as they look for new homes.

"They come up the Neuse, they come up the Tar," Batts explained. "They come down from Falls Lake. There's a lot of natural area up there."

You can contact the NC Wildlife Resources Commission if you see a bear or have any wildlife questions through the Wildlife Helpline at 866-318-2401 or HWI@ncwildlife.gov.