Photo ProvidedA black bear explores the area around Ohio 149 and Water Tower Road east of Belmont on Sunday evening. Jennifer Anderson-Stack was lucky enough to spot it on her way to the store and get this photograph.
BELMONT — Jennifer Anderson-Stack was heading out to do some grocery shopping Sunday evening when something a bit out of the ordinary caught her eye — a black bear was exploring the area of Water Tower Road along Ohio 149 just east of Belmont.
She stopped her car and took a few photos and video of the animal — and that’s exactly what Sgt. Thomas DeVaul advises people to do if they encounter a black bear.
“Enjoy the moment, because you don’t see it every day,” DeVaul, commander of the Belmont County Sheriff’s Department’s Dangerous Wild Animal Response Team, said. “… Take a picture if you can.”
Anderson-Stack said the bear crossed from the south side of Ohio 149 to the north side while she watched.
“It crossed the road, but the house there had dogs and it crossed back over to the other side of Water Tower Road into the weeds,” she said.
That behavior is in keeping with how DeVaul described the creatures.
“They are like overgrown raccoons,” DeVaul said. “Everyone thinks they are dangerous, but that’s not true.”
He warned, though, that people should not approach a black bear if they see one.
“Any animal, when they’re cornered, is likely to attack in defense,” he noted.
He said black bears are scavengers and herbivores, so they aren’t bloodthirsty killers constantly in pursuit of meat. He said movies like the recent “Cocaine Bear” do not provide a realistic depiction of the animals and their behavior.
“They love to get into garbage. They love bird feeders,” he said. “… They love the smell of grills and grease.”
DeVaul added that some bears do exhibit nuisance behavior, noting they will knock over a grill and “lick it clean.”
Noting that a black bear was struck by a vehicle on Interstate 70 in Belmont County on Saturday morning, DeVaul said sightings of them are common in Eastern Ohio at this time of year. The bear died as a result of the accident, and DeVaul said the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Ohio Department of Natural Resources handled the incident. He said ODNR would examine the bear’s remains and study its biology, health and overall wellness.
DeVaul said bears spotted in the local area in late spring are usually transient, 1- to 2-year-old males looking to establish their own home range or territory. He said this happens when mother bears “run them off.”
According to DeVaul, most black bears enter the local region from West Virginia or Pennsylvania after swimming across the Ohio River.
“About 10 years ago, the Moundsville Police Department called just to let us know there was a black bear walking across the I-470 bridge” to Ohio, he said. “I’ve had numerous encounters with them. They are more like giant, overgrown raccoon. The mother runs them off. It’s all natural what we see this time of year.”
DeVaul said there are a few bears in the county, especially in less populated areas to the south and west such as Belmont, Bethesda and along Ohio 148. He noted a sighting was reported Monday on Ray Ramsey Road in the Centerville area.
According to DeVaul, there is no need to call in and report a black bear sighting, as long as the bear isn’t in a predicament or creating a disruption. He cited the example of a bear that climbed a silver maple tree on a family’s lawn a few years ago. He said the yard had a 6-foot fence and people watching it were screaming, which made the animal feel trapped and afraid. DeVaul had to intervene in that situation and encourage the bear to come down and move on.
“Don’t have contact with them,” he advised. “Just watch from a safe distance. If one becomes a nuisance, yell or make a loud noise and typically that will frighten them away.
“They are not dangerous,” he added, “but if you corner one it could be a problem.”
To avoid having a bear become a nuisance, DeVaul said residents should make sure their trash and grill are secured.
“I get a lot of calls about bear sightings, and I always look forward to the next one,” DeVaul concluded.
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