ROME, Ga. -- Some residents in a Rome neighborhood were taken by surprise when they got a furry visitor Thursday night.
Some pictures shared by a resident showed a small black bear hugging a tree limb in a yard behind a vacant home located on Eugenia Circle in the Garden Lakes subdivision.
Floyd County Police were called to retrieve the bear but such a large crowd had gathered to see the furry visitor, officers had to stay back to keep the bear calm.
According to Jeff Jones with Floyd County Police, officers just let the bear have its space until it decides to return to the woods.
This happens periodically in this area and bears get spotted maybe once or twice a year, according to Jones.
Those who experience a bear sighting should just give the animal its space and leave it alone until it leaves the area, said Jones.
This is the first time this year that a bear has been sighted in the area but it certainly won't be the last.
According to Floyd County Police, the bear made its way down the tree and back into the woods, safely.
According to Melissa Cumming with Georgia DNR, the best thing to do to not attract bears is to basically make sure there is no food that could tempt them like pet food or bird seeds. For additional bear safety tips, visit bearwise.org.
The sheriff's office is asking for anyone who sees the bear to call 911. To contact nearby DNR Wildlife Resources Division Game Management Office, you can find numbers here.
PHOTOS | Bear sighted in tree
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