AMHERST (AP) -- Authorities say they had to shoot and kill a black bear that had wandered into a suburban Buffalo neighborhood because it was a threat to public safety.
Police in the town of Amherst say officers killed the bear in a wooded area around 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
Police decided to kill the bear after receiving numerous reports of the animal being spotted in residential and business areas and crossing heavily traveled highways and roads.
It was the latest incident involving a black bear in a populated western New York area. Earlier this year, two bears were struck and killed on Buffalo-area highways in separate incidents.
State wildlife experts say black bear populations are booming in parts of upstate New York.
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