How do you handle a hungry bear?


A black bear is spotted over the weekend in Canfield.
By Elise Franco
CANFIELD — A mischievous black bear managed to visit several residents’ yards, decks and garbage cans on a hunt for food.
The bear was first spotted just after 6 p.m. Saturday on North Broad Street, said Police Chief Chuck Colucci.
“When I first heard this, I was very concerned,” he said. “I did find out these bears are not aggressive; they’re simply out looking for food.”
John Drokin, of Sawmill Run Road, said he spotted the bear at about 9:30 p.m. Saturday going through his neighbor’s garbage can.
“It was over there for a good half-hour or 45 minutes,” he said. “It was methodically destroying our neighbor’s garbage. It didn’t seem aggressive, and once it was done with that it, walked across our deck and backyard and into the neighbor’s front yard.”
Drokin said he called the police to his home because his wife arrived in the driveway with his two daughters, who are 3 months old and 3 years old, and he wanted to be sure they could get inside safely.
“The police were very helpful, though they told me there was nothing they could do in terms of moving the animal along,” he said. “They came out as soon as we called and did what we asked.”
Drokin said this wasn’t the first wild animal encounter his family has experienced.
“We had a report of a coyote in our front yard a week before,” he said. “We don’t let the girls out at night unsupervised, and we’re keeping our trash inside.”
At least seven more calls came in between 6 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. Monday. Colucci said the bear, which is considered a roamer, was likely scouring neighborhoods in search of food. The bear covered territory on Russo and Timber Run drives, Willow Way, Alabaster Avenue, Sawmill Run Road and East Regency Circle, according to police reports.
Dave Brown, wildlife supervisor at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, said the bear can travel in a 100- to 120-mile radius looking for food throughout its life.
“It’s kind of like its territory,” Colucci said. “I was told to expect these calls about the bear for the next week or two until it moves on.”
Brown said he can only speculate on the origin of the bear as well as its age. He said the mother bear pushes out her male babies before they are 2 years old so that they’re able to find their own territory, so it’s likely he’s about 2 years old and weighs about 180 pounds.
Brown said bears don’t breed in Mahoning County, so he knows it was not born in this area.
“We do have breeding bear in Pennsylvania,” he said. “It could have come up from Columbiana or Trumbull counties.”
Chad Bowman, of Alabaster Avenue, said his family also is taking precautions after hearing the bear outside his home at about 11:30 Sunday night.
“I do have a small child,” he said. “We’re having our garbage kept inside, and the police told us not to let any pets or children outside until it’s known that the bear is no longer in the area.”
Bowman said a neighbor called earlier in the day to alert him of the animal’s presence, which prompted him to stay inside when he heard scratching on the side of his house.
“There ware claw marks in one of our trees in the backyard, and he pulled off the exhaust pipe on the side of the house,” he said, of the damages found the next morning. “The claw marks on the side of the tree really gave it away.”
Colucci said though the bear doesn’t appear to be aggressive, anyone who comes in contact with it should call police immediately.
“The most important thing to do is educate,” he said. “Stay away from the bear, take your trash out the morning of the pick up, and don’t leave food out for the bears. If you see the bear, call us right away.”
“If we feel there’s anyone in immediate threat, we’ll do whatever is necessary to take care of the animal,” he said.
Colucci said Canfield residents who spot the animal should call the Canfield Police Department at (330) 533-4903.
Sightings outside Canfield should be reported to that community’s police department.
efranco@vindy.com