In Tolkien’s writings, “The Shire” is a home for hobbits. In Versailles, The Shires is a subdivision for people and pets – and for a brief time around 8 o-clock Wednesday night, a black bear. Jeff Staton says he and his wife Mona were outside their Shires home when they saw the visitor.
“We were getting ready to pull into our driveway, and this bear ran across the road just right in front of us, probably 20 yards in front of us. She thought it was a big dog, like a Newfie. She said, ‘Whose dog is that?’ I said, ‘It's a bear.’
Staton said the bear wanted nothing to do with the people of the Shires.
“There were these two people that were walking towards the light and we asked them, ‘Hey, did you happen to see a bear?’ And they said, ‘Yes, we did.’ They said, ‘He came towards us and saw us, then he turned around and crossed the road.’”
According to the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, young, shy black bears are not uncommon in central Kentucky this time of year and by fall, they usually return home for mating season.
