The Bear was big in August, a hot topic in September, but -- pardon the pun -- barely noted in October.

In fact, police departments and the state Fish and Wildlife officials say they have received no reports of bear sightings in Marion, Mattapoisett or Rochester since Oct. 5 in wherever.
One rumor, rampant in Rochester, is that the bear was (illegally) shot and killed.

Rochester police say that is just a rumor. And Fish and Game officials say there was a bear sighting in nearby Middleboro as recent as two weeks ago.

Reports of a black bear in the area started trickling in at the beginning of July and at one point two bears were seen together.

Police chiefs from Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester all agreed the most recent bear sightings occurred late September or early October.

“The last bear-related phone call we received was October 5 on Noble Road,” said Rochester Police Chief Paul Magee. “We’ve heard the rumors, but we don’t have anything to indicate it’s dead. I’d like to hope the bear—or bears— have just moved on to another area like they showed up.”

And that’s what MassWildlife officials are saying.

“The last information we have is that the bear is back in Middleboro,” said Reginald Zimmerman, assistant press secretary for the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. “And that was a few weeks ago. We haven’t heard anything from Marion, Mattapoisett or Rochester for about a month.”

Reports of a black bear in the area started trickling in at the beginning of July.

“When we’re called in to a bear sighting, our first concern is public safety,” Zimmerman said. “We try to coax it back into the wild first. If that doesn’t work, we’ll capture and relocate it.”

For an extensive look at where the bear has been spotted, check out our Where's the Bear? map.