HORSEHEADS, N.Y. (WETM) – Residents who live in the Bennett Circle area of Horseheads say a bear that was first spotted several weeks ago is once again roaming their neighborhood. 18 News reporter Nicolas Dubina received new video from a homeowner who says the bear returned to his driveway on Tuesday around 4 a.m. The animal can be seen sniffing around empty garbage and recycling bins before wandering off and disappearing into the night.

A different homeowner sent us photos of the bear’s paw marks on his driveway. For reference, the photos were taken next to his size 11 shoe. The homeowner says the paw marks are from Monday night, after the bear got into another home’s garbage.

Nearly two weeks ago, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation set a bear trap on private property. DEC officials say the trap was removed a day later at the request of the homeowner. DEC also fined a different homeowner in the neighborhood for intentionally feeding the bear. DEC alerted residents the bear was showing “dangerous behavior” after tearing through a screen door and entering the room of a home.

Tuesday evening, DEC confirmed it had received a new bear sighting report in the neighborhood. Officials say they are not planning on setting another trap right now, because the bear is not showing aggressive behavior in the new video. The bear just sniffs the empty bins and wanders away. Here is the full statement:

DEC has been notified that a bear has been spotted in the neighborhood, but no further reports of damage since the last incident. DEC has no plans to try to capture the bear since it has shown no aggression.  The bear in the video is attracted to the recycling bins, but walking away.  We continue to advise the residents to continue to take actions to remove potential attractants for bears, this includes outside recycling bins that may harbor food smells. Once the potential rewards are taken away, this bear may stop visiting. DEC encourages residents to report bear sightings and incidents by calling: 1-844-DEC-ECOS (1-844-332-3267).