{"id":18092,"date":"2021-07-02T13:50:02","date_gmt":"2021-07-02T17:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/?p=18092"},"modified":"2025-07-30T17:08:52","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T21:08:52","slug":"black-bear-sighting-in-vanderburgh-county-mydnr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/black-bear-sighting-in-vanderburgh-county-mydnr\/","title":{"rendered":"Black Bear Sighting in Vanderburgh County, MyDNR Indiana&#8217;s Outdoor News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>MyDNR Newsletter, Indiana Department of Forestry and Natural Resources (IDNR): DNR biologists have confirmed a black bear sighting that occurred in northeast Vanderburgh County June 21st. The closest town to the location is Elberfeld, in Warrick County.<\/p>\n<p>Biologists confirmed the bear from photos taken by the landowner.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18098 size-full alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/IDNR-Black-Bear-Photo.jpg\" alt=\"IDNR Black Bear Photo\" width=\"478\" height=\"310\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/IDNR-Black-Bear-Photo.jpg 478w, https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/IDNR-Black-Bear-Photo-250x162.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 478px) 100vw, 478px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is Indiana\u2019s fourth confirmed black bear,\u201d said Brad Westrich, DNR mammalogist. \u201cWith expanding bear populations in neighboring states, this is expected.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHuman-bear conflicts can be avoided if you remove or secure potential food sources from your yard. Bears can smell food from more than a mile away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Black bears are rarely aggressive toward humans.<\/p>\n<p>If you see a black bear:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Do not feed it.<\/li>\n<li>Observe it from a distance.<\/li>\n<li>Do not climb a tree.<\/li>\n<li>Advertise your presence by shouting and waving your arms and backing slowly away.<\/li>\n<li>Report bear sightings to the Indiana Division of Fish &amp; Wildlife <a href=\"https:\/\/www.in.gov\/dnr\/fish-and-wildlife\/wildlife-resources\/animals\/report-a-mammal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Most problems that occur with bears arise when bears associate food sources with humans and lose their fear of people.<\/p>\n<p>More guidelines for reducing or eliminating the potential for bear-human conflicts:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Remove bird feeders and bird food if a bear is reported in your area.<\/li>\n<li>Clean and store away grills after use.<\/li>\n<li>Eliminate food attractants by placing garbage cans inside a garage or shed.<\/li>\n<li>Pick ripe fruits and vegetables as soon as possible or place an electric fence around them to ensure bears cannot reach them.<\/li>\n<li>Consolidate beehives you may have and place an electric fence around them.<\/li>\n<li>Don&#8217;t leave pet food outside overnight.<\/li>\n<li>Don&#8217;t add meat or sweets to a compost pile.<\/li>\n<li>Don&#8217;t climb a tree if you encounter a bear; wait in a vehicle or building for the bear to leave the area.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To view all DNR news releases, please see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.in.gov\/dnr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dnr.IN.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Resources:<br \/>\n<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLgoGnq-fak7XTijMyab8WElouaTwlUfsN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wildlife<\/a>, Playlist, Purdue Extension \u2013 Forestry and Natural Resources YouTube Channel<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.in.gov\/dnr\/fish-and-wildlife\/wildlife-resources\/animals\/black-bear\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Black Bears<\/a>, Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR)<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.in.gov\/dnr\/fish-and-wildlife\/wildlife-resources\/animals\/report-a-mammal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Report a Black Bear Sighting<\/a>, Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR)<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/ag.purdue.edu\/stories\/unexpected-plants-and-animals-of-indiana-black-bears\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Unexpected Plants and Animals in Indiana: Black Bear<\/a>, College of Agriculture &#8211; Forestry and Natural Resources<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.in.gov\/dnr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Indiana Department of Natural Resources<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MyDNR Newsletter, Indiana Department of Forestry and Natural Resources (IDNR): DNR biologists have confirmed a black bear sighting that occurred in northeast Vanderburgh County June 21st. The closest town to the location is Elberfeld, in Warrick County. Biologists confirmed the bear from photos taken by the landowner. \u201cThis is Indiana\u2019s fourth confirmed black bear,\u201d said [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,54],"tags":[56,1454,943,451,619,70,1455,1456,72],"class_list":["post-18092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alert","category-wildlife","tag-alert","tag-black-bear","tag-fnr-extension","tag-idnr","tag-indiana-department-of-natural-resources","tag-safety","tag-sighting","tag-vanderburgh-county","tag-wildlife","audience-for-enthusiasts","audience-for-homeowners","audience-for-landowners","audience-for-professionals"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18092","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18092"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18092\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33873,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18092\/revisions\/33873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18092"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}