TRUMBULL COUNTY Bear being taken to wildlife area

Officials said no one was reported harmed by the bear.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- A bear that was roaming Trumbull County is captured for now but will be set free in a wildlife area after a checkup.
The medium-sized bear, which was spotted on Eastland Avenue Southeast around 3:30 p.m. Thursday, was shot with a tranquilizer gun, said officials with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife.
Officials believe the bear captured is the same one that was spotted in Liberty last Friday and in Howland on Tuesday. There were no reports that the bear harmed any residents.
Jeff Westerfield, a wildlife research technician with ODNR's Division of Wildlife in Akron, said there were no plans to capture the bear, but the animal must have done something to make officials change their mind.
The bear weighs between 150 and 175 pounds, a size Westerfield terms moderate.
"What we will do now is take a tooth from the bear so that we can determine how old he is," Westerfield said. "We will then measure him and get his exact weight. After that is done, he will be taken to one of our wildlife areas, and we'll let him go."
What's undetermined
He said it is difficult to know for sure why the bear was wandering.
"This time of year, there is not a lot of berries out, so they may be looking for food or it's also the time when they start looking for females to breed," Westerfield said.
Spotting a bear is rare, Westerfield said, with only 100 to 150 sightings throughout Ohio annually. The bears usually make their way to Ohio from Pennsylvania.
A bear usually hears human noise before it is seen and moves to avoid the noise, he explained.
Those who spot a bear are asked to contact ODNR at (330) 644-2293 so the state can keep track of and better understand the animal.
sinkovich@vindy.com