MIAMI VALLEY — Ohio wildlife officials say bear sightings are increasing in the Miami Valley.
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Over a week, News Center 7 has received reports of sightings in Clark, Montgomery, Champaign, and Greene counties.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, Ohio Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division Manager Brett Beatty explains why we’re seeing an increase.
“We’ve seen a pretty steady increase of black bears in the state. I think my last numbers that have been all documented was from 2022, where we had about 280 sightings,” Beatty says.
There is a reason why more black bear sightings are being reported now compared to two decades ago.
“The technology, everybody having a phone in their pocket and the ring cameras,” Beatty says. “So without those ring cameras, that bear probably would have passed right through there, and folks wouldn’t have known he was there.”
He says he’s tracked this bear across multiple counties in the region.
The bear was most recently spotted in Greene County Sunday evening.
“He’s traveling, looking for other bears, good territory, and heading in the direction he was, he wasn’t running into anybody else as far as bears. Right. So it makes sense for him to kind of backtrack and head back from where he started,” Beatty says.
Bears can travel up to 40 miles a day and are likely looking for a mate or a new place to call home over the summer, Beaty added.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
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