ALFRED, Maine — One family in Alfred had some unexpected visitors on Tuesday.
A family of bears hung out in a tree at a home on Kennebunk Road, homeowner Samantha Gallaher told NEWS CENTER Maine.
"They have been in our driveway since we woke up around 6:30 a.m. ... It was certainly quite a surprise to wake up to. We never expected to see them so close to town," Gallaher said.
Gallaher said she notified her local animal control and Maine game wardens of the situation, and they came to her home to monitor the bears.
One game warden attempted to scare the bears out of the tree using sirens, but the momma bear and her cubs climbed even higher.
"Eventually, he just told us to be cautious and that they will come down on their own," Gallaher said. "He said they likely got spooked by all the morning traffic on our road and climbed up in the tree to hide."
The bears caused quite a stir in the town of Alfred that day. Gallaher said lots of people stopped by her home to take photos of the fuzzy family.
"Our three children have been in awe of them, and our daughter Peyton said she felt very popular getting off the school bus today," Gallaher added.
A neighbor of Gallaher told her the mama bear comes around the area each year.
As for the rest of the town, only a few events were affected by the bears hanging around.
Massabesic Little League announced on Facebook all activities at Alfred Park on Tuesday night would be relocated to alternative fields.
The baseball pitch game between D&R Paving and J.R. Gerrish & Sons was moved to Leighton Field in Waterboro, the post said.
"I feel for the mom, she has her hands full keeping them up in that tree!" Gallaher said.