BRYN MAWR, Pa. – Police put a Pennsylvania elementary school on lockdown Tuesday after a black bear was seen roaming through Bryn Mawr on school property.

Radnor Township police issued a Level One lockdown for Ithan Elementary School and nearby Notre Dame de Namur followed with a voluntary lockdown, after several locals reported a bear walking near the wooded 54-acre Ithan property Tuesday morning, Philly.com reports.

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“According to police, a man walking his dog Tuesday morning called officials after he saw a bear. A short time later, two women who were walking along Haymarket Lane by Clyde Road saw the bear cross the street in front of them and head into the woods that separate the Ithan Woods neighborhood from Ithan Elementary School property,” the news site reports.

Radnor Township animal control officer William Gallagher witnessed the bear on school property, and police Lt. Chris Flanagan came into close contact with the bruin, as well, as police and officials with the Pennsylvania Game Commission attempted to capture him.

Flanagan was on a motorcycle patrolling for the bear when he noticed rustling in the bushes.

“The next thing I know he popped up and he was moving, I mean he was probably doing – he was moving at a high rate of speed, I can tell you that,” Flanagan told CBS Philadelphia.

“It just came right at me,” he told Philly.com. “I had to dump my bike.”

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Gallagher said he believes the bear was a juvenile that was simply passing through the area.

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The bear was last spotted going into Skunk Hollow on a heavily wooded trail near Darby Paoli Road, Flanagan said, but he ultimately eluded authorities.

Local officials temporarily shut down the wooded walking trails in the area.

“We are anticipating the bear is on the move and that he is taking a walk through Radnor,” said Flanagan.

Ithan and Notre Dame officials monitored the area as students were released Tuesday, and implemented safety measures for Wednesday. They also contacted parents about the episode.

Philly.com reports the bear lockdown follows another bear sighting in the township on Saturday, less than 5 miles from Tuesday’s incident.

Survival Mag provides a helpful Bear Safety Guide.

According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the state’s bear population has been on the rise for decades, and a 2015 estimate puts the population at about 20,000 bears living in the commonwealth.

Contact between people and bears has become increasingly common in recent years as folks have moved into popular bear habitats, with most encounters occurring as a result of people leaving food accessible to the animals, according to the Game Commission website.

“Not the bear’s fault, just looking for something to eat in an ever shrinking habitat, and we all know why it’s shrinking,” Seefer commented on PennLive.com.

Other commenters seemed to think the whole thing is a hoot.

“Was this a protest on the part of the bear?” Completecynic posted. “Does he still have the right to bear arms even if he is in a gun free zone?”

“Just place a couple of picnic baskets out and Yogi will take them and go away!” Gozurmanisnottraveling79 wrote.