Unusual bear sighting In Sharp County

Highland, Arkansas – On Wednesday, Aug. 3, a bear sighting in Sharp County caught the attention of many residents.

Mike Gray owns the property in Highland where the curious bear made a scene.

According to Gray, it was one of the busiest days in his area he could remember.

He explained he received a “weird” phone call that afternoon. “I got a phone call yesterday at the shop, and a gentleman said, ‘You’ve got a bear in your yard.’ When I got over here, sure enough, he was standing in the yard,” he said.

When Gray heard about the bear, concern sunk in for his family who was nearby at the time. “I have two young kids. They’re my daughter’s kids, and they live with us,” he explained. “I made sure they were inside, not playing on the swings, cause you just never know what could happen.”

A bear sighting in the northern part of the state isn’t that weird, according to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

According to Chief Communications Officer Keith Stephens, the timing would be strange normally, but the recent drought could have caused the late-year sighting. “Since we’ve had such a bad drought and mashed crop, it’s probably pretty much gone right now. At least the soft mass. It’s not unusual for them to get out and look for other places to find an easy meal,” he said.