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| Did you know... Bear lips, unlike the lips of other animals, are not attached directly to the gums? This makes them very flexible and useful for stripping berries from bushes. |
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Bear Data
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| Year |
No. of Sightings |
Actual No. of Bears |
| 1993 |
28
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10
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| 1994 |
47
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29
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| 1995 |
48
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21
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| 1996 |
38
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25
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| 1997 |
46
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28
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| 1998 |
25
|
22
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| 1999 |
56
|
24
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| 2000 |
66
|
43
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| 2001 |
128
|
55
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Bear Facts
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Found coast-to-coast throughout North America |
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A solitary animal that generally seeks to avoid contact with humans |
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Weight ranges from 150 to 300 pounds |
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Average adult height is 2.5 to 3 feet at the shoulder |
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Can live up to 20 years or more in the wild |
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Flat-footed mammal with five toes on each foot |
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Highly mobile creatures whose habitats include, mature forests, woodlands with dense understory, swamps, forested river corridors |
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Active in the early mornings and late evenings |
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Omnivorous (plant & meat eaters), with a diet that changes with seasonal availability to include nuts, berries, grasses, leaves, fish, carrion and insects |
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Excellent senses of smell, good hearing, and vision similar to humans
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Hibernate from early October and emerge mid-March through mid-April
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Use caves, hollow stumps or logs and hollow trees as den sights
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Peak breeding occurs mid-June through mid-July
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Females produce one to three cubs every other year, in winter dens
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Bear Etiquette
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| If you see a bear, leave it alone |
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Like any wild animal, give it room to roam. Once the bear becomes aware of your presence is will likely move away. |
| Never feed a wild bear |
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A fed bear is a dead bear. When a bear associates people with food due to free hand outs, conflict will certainly occur. These conflicts usually cost the bear its life.
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| If a bear is reported in your area, put away trashcans and empty bird feeders |
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Most bears spotted in urban areas are merely passing through. However, they are opportunistic feeders and will help themselves to any available food source. |
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Report bear activity to the Division of Wildlife
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Call 1-800-WILDLIFE to report a bear sighting or with any questions you might have about the return of these magnificent animals. |
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Remember, bears are an Ohio endangered species and are protected by law
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A former Ohio resident is moving back to the Buckeye State and its presence has not gone unnoticed. Last year, a record 128 black bear sightings in 29 Ohio counties were reported to the states wildlife division, which keeps tabs on resident and visiting bruins.
Once numbering in the thousands, black bears disappeared from the Ohio landscape in the 1850s as pioneers began clearing bear habitat for farms and towns. But, in the deep woods of West Virginia and western Pennsylvania, black bears continued to thrive. And, in the 1980s, these "neighbor" bears began expanding their range westward into Ohio.
Approximately 50 to 75 black bears, including a number of breeding "sows," are now living year round in eastern and southeastern Ohio, according to state wildlife biologist Dave Swanson. He added that young males probably account for most of Ohio's bear sightings.
Black bears are highly mobile and its not unusual for these one- to two-year-old male "weanlings" newly shunned by their mothers to travel up to 100-200 miles in search of a quiet woods to call home. Female bears, on the other hand, tend to stick close to their birthplace.
Black bears become mature for breeding at four to five years of age. Females breed every other year and give birth to their cubs in January or February. Cubs weigh between 7 to 12 ounces at birth and open their eyes within the first 25 to 30 days.
The average adult black bear is about three feet at the shoulders, weighs 150 to 300 pounds and can live to the ripe old age of 20. Black bears sport a dense, glossy coat of black fur, walk in a shuffling, flat-footed manner and sport five toes at the end of each foot. They have an excellent senses of smell, good hearing and vision similar to humans. Occasionally theyll give a woof-like growl, and if injured are known to sob and bawl.
Seeing a bear in the wild can inspire both awe and fear, although Swanson is quick to emphasize that burgeoning numbers of black bears are nothing to fear. He added that people and bears can live together in harmony, as long as the humans observe a few basic rules and keep their distance.
"First and foremost, never feed a bear or entice one with snacks," Swanson said. "Feeding a bear causes it to lose its fear of humans and become a pest."
Garbage cans, bird feeders and pet food dishes are "fast food stands" for bears. Although their favorite meals are berries and grubs, bears will eat anything that's handy!
Bears are naturally shy creatures and do their best to avoid humans, said Swanson. In the wild, they only become feisty if they have no way to avoid an encounter. He stressed that any person confronting a bear, whether its a cub or adult, should back away slowly and give the animal plenty of room to escape.
Be aware, too, that black bears are an endangered species in Ohio and hunting them is prohibited.
If you are fortunate enough to glimpse one of Ohios newest residents, report your sighting to ODNR at 1-800-WILDLIFE. Your information will help biologists better understand these magnificent creatures.