VIDALIA — A black bear making its way through Concordia Parish took a detour into a residential area Monday night.

Rachea Bailey said she and her family had turned onto Westside Drive from Mooselodge Road around 5 p.m. Monday when they spotted the bear near Jonesville Beauty School.

The bear was wearing a collar, Bailey said.

“We saw him come across the field, and he actually crossed the street to get to Ralph Road but the kids started spooking him and he went behind a house,” Bailey said.

Before the bear disappeared, her son — Eric Beamer, 13 — was able to take some photos of the animal.

Bailey said after speaking with 911 about the animal the family left the area.

Later in the evening, the bear entered the Country Estates mobile home park. A biologist and an enforcement agent with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries responded to the scene at approximately 9:30 p.m., said Bo Boehringer, spokesman for the department’s office of wildlife.

The single male bear, who was being tracked for research purposes, was simply on the move when it entered the area, Boehringer said.

“According to the biologist, movement at this time of the year is pretty normal,” he said. “It is the beginning of the breeding season, the young males are looking for females.

“If they cross a road or enter a neighborhood, it is a matter of them moving from point a to point b on a straight line. It often happens in the middle of the night without anybody knowing.”

At the scene Monday, the biologist and enforcement agent advised residents to stay clear of the animal and determined there was no need to trap it, Boehringer said. The bear has since left the area.

“The basic rules we provide the public are absolutely no food should be left outside, and that includes pet food in the carport,” he said. “We also advise residents to secure their garbage, make sure the lid on your garbage can can be securely tied down or locked down.”

Residents should not feed bears — or any wildlife — because the feeding may encourage them to stay in an area, Boehringer said.

“If there is any cause for concern relative to public or pet safety, contact Wildlife and Fisheries,” he said.

The State of Louisiana has four populations of black bears, and though once endangered state officials have petitioned federal wildlife authorities to remove them from the endangered species list in light of population growth in recent years.

For more information about living with bears, visit wlf.louisiana.gov/wildlife.