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VERSION:2.0
PRODID:icalendar-ruby
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
X-WR-CALNAME:Wandering black bear confirmed in St. Joseph County
X-WR-TIMEZONE:Indiana (East)
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20261013T132811Z
UID:tag:localist.com\,2008:EventInstance_36635859808918
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20150612
DESCRIPTION:Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologists today confi
 rmed the presence of a wild black bear in northern Indiana after the bear 
 walked in from Michigan.\n\nThe DNR received reliable reports earlier in t
 he week of the wandering bear northwest of South Bend in St. Joseph County
  and made the confirmation after wildlife biologist Budd Veverka examined 
 waste material submitted to the DNR and identified it as bear scat. \n\n
 “With black bears in some surrounding states\, we were expecting a bear 
 to show up eventually\,” said Mitch Marcus\, Wildlife Section chief for 
 the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife. “It’s quite unusual and exciting 
 for a Michigan lakeshore black bear to move this far south. Michigan DNR o
 fficials told us this is the southernmost black bear movement in more than
  a decade.”  \n\nAlthough there have been occasional unconfirmed reports
  of bears in Indiana\, this is the first verified presence of a bear in th
 e state in more than 140 years. \n\nYoung black bears are known to dispers
 e in the springtime as they seek new territory in which to settle.\n\n“I
 ndiana does not have a breeding population of black bears\, and we expect 
 this one to turn back north eventually\,” Marcus said.\n\nIndiana DNR en
 courages citizens to report sightings of the bear to dfwinput@dnr.IN.gov o
 r by calling (812) 334-1137 during regular business hours. Photos or video
 s can be sent to the same email address. The maximum file size is 15 MB.\n
 \nBlack bears are shy by nature and tend to avoid human contact. Attacks a
 re rare. Black bears are non-aggressive in most instances and prefer fleei
 ng from humans when given the chance. DNR wildlife biologists offer the fo
 llowing bear awareness tips:\n\n–Don’t intentionally feed bears. If a 
 bear becomes accustomed to finding food near your home\, it may become a 
 “problem” bear.\n–Eliminate food attractants by placing garbage cans
  inside a garage or shed.\n–Clean and store grills away after use.\n–D
 on’t leave pet food outside overnight\n–Remove bird feeders and bird f
 ood from late March through November\n–Don’t add meat or sweets to a c
 ompost pile\n–If encountering a bear\, don’t run. Shout\, wave your ar
 ms and back away slowly. \n\nAs European settlers began arriving in the 17
 00s in what is now Indiana\, black bears were found throughout the territo
 ry. Loss of habitat and demand for furs of all sorts led to the bears’ d
 emise. Shipment records of Vincennes fur trader Francis Vigo from 1777-87 
 include 2\,669 bear hides. The Ewing family\, which operated out of Fort W
 ayne and Logansport in the early 1800s\, shipped 2\,623 bear  hides from 1
 836-41.\n\nAccording to the book “Mammals of Indiana” by John O. Whita
 ker\, Jr.\, and Russell E. Mumford\, the last confirmed report of a reside
 nt wild black bear in Indiana was in 1850. Whitaker and Mumford report a b
 ear sighting in northwest Indiana in 1871 but note it was forced south fro
 m Michigan to escape a series of fires known historically as the Great Mic
 higan Fire.\n\nBlack bears are now listed as an exotic mammal and protecte
 d under Indiana Administrative Code 312 9-3-18.5 (b-1)\, which prohibits t
 he killing of a black bear except by a resident landowner or tenant while 
 the animal is “destroying or causing substantial damage to property owne
 d or leased by the landowner or tenant.”\n\nMichigan DNR estimates a pop
 ulation of 15\,000 to 19\,000 black bears in the state\, with 90 percent o
 f them living in the Upper Peninsula. Black bears also have recolonized in
  the eastern portions of Kentucky and Ohio.
LOCATION:
SUMMARY:Wandering black bear confirmed in St. Joseph County
URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.in.gov/event/wandering_black_bear_confirmed_in
 _st_joseph_county
CATEGORIES:Press Releases
END:VEVENT
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