KARK

Hot Springs Village residents report black bear sightings, forester explains why they might be there

HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE, Ark. – Hot Springs Village has reported several bear sightings in the last few weeks, creating buzz on social media.

Todd Noles with the Hot Springs Village Forestry Division spent part of Wednesday afternoon scanning through photos of a black bear posing for the camera.

“I’ll start getting calls about people seeing bears in their backyards, or seeing a bear around their house, or walking their dogs,” Noles said. “He was making his rounds quite a bit.”

Believe it or not, Noles says photos like these are nothing new.

“We’ve had sightings of a momma bear here with cubs,” he explained. “It’s all part of living in the mountain range here.”

Between the greenery and trees sits a wildlife paradise. Hot Spring Village used to be home to several black bears, Noles explained, but now it’s just a place where they vacation.

“They’ll come through, they’ll stay in the village a little while, and then they’re gone,” he said.

Noles said the bears are attracted to food from bird feeders and trash left on the side of the road.

“It’s kind of like a free buffet for them,” Noles said, adding that at some point, though, residents will have to cut off the “all you can eat” special.

Noles said while these bears are mostly harmless, feeding them will only bring them back.

Noles said if someone encounters a bear, they should make a loud noise to scare the animal away. If the bear doesn’t move, Noles advises calling for help.