Bear's Cape Cod holiday not over yet

PROVINCETOWN, Mass., June 9 (UPI) -- A black bear's Cape Cod vacation can go on, at least for now, Massachusetts environmental officials said Friday.

Reginald Zimmerman, a spokesman for the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, said attempts to trap the bear -- believed to be hanging out in the woods near Provincetown -- have been suspended, the Cape Cod Times reported. The animal appears to pose no risk to the public, Zimmerman said.

The bear is the first reported on the Cape in centuries. It was spotted May 26 in Sandwich, on the Cape side of the Cape Cod Canal, and is believed to have swum across a day or two earlier.

Since then, there have been a few sightings as the bear wandered east and north to Provincetown on the tip of the Cape. It was seen there Wednesday.

The bear is a young male. Males often travel long distances in the spring and early summer, looking for food and mates.

Environmental officials worry the bear is losing its chance to breed because there are no females on the Cape.

Zimmerman said the bear's movements will be monitored. He said anyone who sees the animal should keep a respectful distance.