Elusive black bear goes swimming in Marion

The black bear that has been roaming around southeastern Massachusetts was caught on video taking a dip in the ocean in Marion Thursday.

Saltworks Marine, a boat repair shop, took a video of the bear getting off the Sippican Harbor dock and into the water. The bear can be seen casually swimming out into the water in the morning sun.

The Marion harbormaster jokingly scolded the bear for breaking the town’s swimming rules after seeing the video Thursday.

“What did the bear say after looking at his GPS? ‘Give me a second to get my BEARings!,’” the department wrote on Facebook. “The famous Black Bear has broken the no swimming off the town docks rule, and took a dip in Sippican Harbor, Nauti Bear!”

The bear was first spotted in Marion Wednesday, according to police. They said Massachusetts Environmental Police were aware of the bear’s presence in the town.

“As with any wild animal of this size, please refrain from feeding it or approaching it. We also recommend that you keep pets indoors,” police wrote on Facebook.

The bear is presumed to be the same bear that has been spotted in Franklin, Mansfield, Sharon, Taunton, Dartmouth, Fall River, Acushnet, and Freetown in the past few weeks. Before making its way to Marion this week, it stopped by New Bedford on Tuesday.

MassWildlife said previously that the bear is believed to be a 2-year-old male that weighs between 80 and 100 lbs. He has not shown any aggression, the department said, and has so far eluded attempts by the department to catch him.

Southeastern Massachusetts is outside the established black bear population range in the state, but last year they were spotted in towns such as Easton, Raynham, and Middleborough.

Who knows where this adventurous young bear might travel to next? If you see him, don’t say hi. Call Environmental Police at 800-632-8075.