RENO — A bear was spotted crossing the Truckee River in downtown Reno over the weekend. The Reno Gazette Journal reports a video posted by Facebook user Dave Smith showed the bear crossed the river on Saturday near Wingfield Park a few blocks southwest of the main downtown casino district. It traveled upstream toward Hub Coffee Roasters near Riverside Drive before crossing the river again. Bear sightings are not uncommon this time of year around Lake Tahoe, in the Sierra foothills or on the edge of Reno. But they are rare near downtown. The Nevada Department of Wildlife said they don't start receiving reports of bears in neighborhoods until October or November. Continued drought in the region makes their food sources more scarce in the woods, so bears are more likely to resort to moving closer to homes to rummage through trash and garbage bins. Wildlife officials are urging area residents to make sure to secure their garbage because a bear finds food in a neighborhood, they keep coming back.
