A young black bear visited two Massachusetts schools as it wandered through Worcester with police in pursuit.
The bruin was spotted climbing over garden walls Thursday on Highland Street, prompting a lockdown at the nearby Doherty Memorial High School.
Students were kept inside until the bear left the area.
The animal was later spotted about two miles away, on the campus of Clark University.
Police said the bear eventually returned to the woods on its own, and environmental police are keeping tabs on it.
Dave Wattles, a black bear biologist with MassWildlife, said the bear appeared to be about a year and a half old, and had likely only recently separated from its mother.
He told WBZ-TV the bear is “essentially a teenager trying to find its own way in the world.”
Wattles said bear sightings in the area are likely to increase as the animals enter their mating season.
