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Bath Township police alert residents to black bear that was spotted in Fairlawn

Bear .jpg
Posted at 10:06 PM, Jun 28, 2022
and last updated 2022-06-29 18:34:20-04

BATH TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A black bear was spotted in Fairlawn on Tuesday night, according to a Facebook post from the Bath Township police.

The bear was seen at 9:30 p.m. in Griffith Park off Trunko Road in Fairlawn.

Police are asking residents not to feed the bear or provoke it.

In 2018, 191 sightings were reported in 45 counties. Seventy-three of those sightings were confirmed based on the presence of evidence such as photos or tracks. Sightings occur throughout the year but are most common in late May through early July, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

"Bears in high human activity areas tend to be more nocturnal in their movements while dawn and dusk are the periods of primary movement among bears in low human activity areas," ODNR said.

In 2019, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources said black bears were a state endangered species.

RELATED: Multiple black bear sightings reported in Lake County