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Massive bear spotted in Chelmsford

CHELMSFORD, Mass. — Several residents in Chelmsford have reportedly seen a huge bear walking around their back yards.

This bear has been spotted all over town this year, but this weekend it decided to make an appearance a little closer than people would've liked.

Some are saying it was quite a sight, but are now making some habitual changes to make sure they stay safe from these creatures.

"I came out the side of the house and the bear was right on the side out back," said Gary Drake, a Chelmsford resident. "He was about 20, 30 feet away."

Bear sightings aren't uncommon in Massachusetts, where Mass Wildlife estimates there are around 4,500 black bears across the state and that number is growing.

"(It was) pretty startling, he was huge," said Drake.

Gary Drake took a chance and followed the bear to take some cell phone video. He first spotted the bear grabbing a snack from a bird feeder.

"He cut over my neighbor's house and I tried to sneak through the woods to get a better picture of him and he kinda stood up, looked at me and kinda backed off," Drake said. "I was like 'alright, I'm done' and could feel he didn't want me to go near him."

Several other people in the area spotted the bear, and sent us several pictures. The bear has now been named "Big Ben" by neighbors, after his many elusive appearances.

Drake decided to remove his bird feeders to discourage Big Ben from coming back for more food.

Mass Wildlife recommends eliminating any food that will attract bears and securing trash cans.\

"It was quite the experience," Drake said.

Mass Wildlife says the best thing to do if there's a bear in your yard is to make a lot of noise and the bear will usually go away. They recommend not letting bears get too comfortable.