Watch Bear Run Through Walmart Parking Lot While Being Chased by Cops

A small bear has been caught on camera by a dashcam as it ran around a parking lot outside of a Walmart store in New Mexico.

The video was taken early in the morning of May 21 in Farmington—around 30 miles south of the Colorado border. The Farmington Police Department, which responded to the scene after receiving a call from a "concerned citizen," posted the footage to its Facebook page the next day.

The video shows the bear racing through the empty parking lot while being followed by a car with a dashcam recording the whole encounter. Eventually, the little bear scurries up a grass embankment and out of sight from the camera.

"Eyewitnesses observed the bear running in the direction of Best Western and McDonald's before traversing across the street and making its way into the mall parking lot," the Farmington Police Department's caption read.

The bear was likely a black bear, as grizzlies are very rarely found as far south as New Mexico, with there only being a few thousand that live in the contiguous United States, mostly near the Canadian border. Black bears, on the other hand, are thought to number somewhere between 339,000 and 465,000 across the U.S.

In New Mexico, there are around 6,000 black bears, according to the New Mexico Game and Fish Department.

Black bears mostly feed on foraged berries, fruits, and nuts, as well as insects, fish and smaller mammals, but are drawn to the smell of human food, especially if it's left in easy-accessible garbage.

The bear in the video appears much smaller than a normal black bear—adults can weigh anywhere between 150 and 400 pounds, depending on sex and diet—meaning that it could be a cub or an adolescent.

Females often give birth to cubs over the winter during the bears' hibernation period, around the end of January. The mother and cub emerge together in the spring.

"American black bear metabolism speeds up, they start to stretch their muscles, their heart begins beating regularly and they begin breathing normally," Andrew N. Tri, the Forest Wildlife and Populations Research Group project leader at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, previously told Newsweek. "They do not wake up very hungry. For females with cubs, they remain at the den area until the cubs are old enough and strong enough to climb trees."

These cubs usually stay with the mother for one to two more years.

This bear somehow evaded capture by New Mexico Game and Fish personnel, according to the Farmington Police Department's Facebook post.

"The most recent sighting of the bear was reported near Farmington Fire Station 2. Local residents are advised to exercise caution and report any further bear sightings to the appropriate authorities," the department said.

Although black bears will normally shy away from humans, they can be very dangerous if they feel threatened. New Mexico Game and Fish advises that anyone encountering a black bear should stay calm and back away slowly, and not run. If attacked, they urge to fight back aggressively.

Those living in cities and towns in areas where bears are found should venture to store food securely and lock car doors and garbage bins to avoid attracting bears to human areas.

"Law enforcement agencies and wildlife officials are working diligently to monitor the situation and ensure the safety of the community. The cooperation and assistance of local residents in promptly reporting sightings are greatly appreciated, as it aids in the swift and effective management of potential wildlife encounters," the Farmington Police Department said in the post.

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