CORNING, N.Y. -- A bear cub is miles away from home after being found in a salt pile in the Southern Tier.

A number of calls came in to the Corning Police Department about a bear sighting. A patrolman says around this time of year it’s normal, but what was abnormal was this cub was alone.

Around 10:15 Sunday morning, officers responded to multiple calls of a black bear cub roaming around Denison Park. When they got there the cub had climbed the fence into the city’s DPW area. They got a little frightened after the bear climbed another fence into a NYSEG utility area. It did climb back and officers stayed with the bear until the state DEC arrived.

An officer with the DEC took the cub up to Oswego County for rehabilitation.

"We do see some cubs around, you know, but generally they have the mother bear with them. This one did not have the mother bear. We don't know where she was. We were keeping a lookout for her while we, you know, dealing with this but none ever showed up," said Patrolman Andre Frisbie.

The cub is expected to be released back in Steuben County later this year. Frisbie says the DEC won't release the bear until it's a grown more and can fend for itself.