By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
Sightings of black bears have recently been occurring in neighborhoods, backyards, urban areas and even on dash cams and doorbell cameras in areas of Kentucky not accustomed to seeing them.
Biologists and game wardens with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources want the public to know that this is normal bear behavior and encourage the public to learn more about bears to better understand and live safely with them.
In late spring and early summer, young male black bears get pushed out of areas where they were raised in eastern Kentucky by older and more dominant male bears for mating season. These juveniles may wander up to several weeks or more into unfamiliar territory in search of food, good habitat and prospective mates before instinctively returning to the mountains by the fall. Bears can travel 20 miles or more a day if left undisturbed.
“This is the time of year when young male bears are usually spotted outside of their normal home range in the mountain counties of eastern Kentucky,” said John Hast, Bear Program coordinator for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “These young bears are just juveniles and are easily scared and confused causing them to wander into populated areas because they don’t yet know any better. They may hide during the day and leave the area at night only to be reported being seen again a county or two away within a couple of days. Residents should keep their distance, remove all food sources and let the bear move on when he feels safe to do so.”
Black bears have a natural fear of people and dogs, and adverse encounters are extremely rare. Never approach or feed a bear and keep a safe distance away. If a bear is posing an immediate danger, a person should yell and wave their arms to look more threatening to scare him off or call local law enforcement immediately.
Residents of an area where a bear has been spotted should secure their garbage in a garage or other building, not leave pet food outside, and clean and securely store barbecue grills. It is a violation of Kentucky law to feed bears or knowingly leave unsecured food available for them to consume.
The website BearWise.org offers information and solutions to help individuals and communities coexist with bears, whether bears are just visiting or are permanent neighbors.