Last month, Ian Bedell and a friend set out for a leisurely hike up Bong Hill near the Hocking River, expecting to enjoy the scenery of a summer day. When they returned down the hill, they saw a large black bear.
Bedell, a junior studying history, said he was very surprised by the sighting.
It was big
he said. It was very cool.
On Aug. 2, a young black bear disrupted many Athens residents by roaming through streets in search of food.
Athens Police Department officials first arrived on Hopper Street around 5 p.m. after several calls about the bear. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife responded as well, according to an Athens Police Department release.
Residents spotted the bear on Richland Avenue, Stimson Avenue, State Street, near the Athens County Library and 30 Home St., said Susie Vance, spokeswoman for the ODNR District Four Division of Wildlife in Athens. The bear was last seen at about 8:30 p.m. along the Hocking River, she added.
No one was injured during the three hours the bear roamed Athens, Vance said. She added that ODNR officials observed the bear throughout the day until it returned to the hills. The department determined it was not a threat to residents.
Vance said Southeast Ohio is home to numerous bears, with many young bears leaving their mothers and walking down the hills in search of territory and food during the warm summer months.
A bear sighting in city limits does not occur often, but it does happen, said Wayne National Forest Spokesman Gary Chancey.
There has been an increase in bear sightings in recent years Chancey said.
In 2010, there were 12 sightings of bears in Athens County, with four confirmed and eight unconfirmed. This number was larger that the one confirmed and one unconfirmed in 2009 and one unconfirmed sighting in 2008, according to statistics provided by the ODNR Division of Wildlife.
The increased number of sightings in 2010 does not mean there are more bears residing in the county, but that they are more active and residents know to call ODNR if they see one, Vance said.
To avoid a bear coming around a person's home, the department warns residents to remove all birdseed, grills and other food sources from the area, Vance said. She added residents should put out trash the morning of trash day instead of leaving it out all night.
Bears are elusive Vance said. They don't want to be in your area anymore than you want to be in theirs.
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Alex Stuckey
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Bear sightings in Athens County
