A Chardon resident spotted something in her backyard that many can say they haven't seen in person before — or at least not outside of a zoo.
Geauga County resident, Melissa Colbary Dahlhausen, saw a black bear tackling a bird feeder in her backyard on Woodin Road in Chardon.
This isn't the first time a black bear sighting was reported in Northeast Ohio. In January, a park visitor was walking through the snow-covered trails of the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath near Akron when tracks resembling a bear were spotted.
The Summit County Metroparks confirmed the tracks belonged to a black bear.
According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio's bear population is estimated to be between 50 and 100 bears.
Via the ODNR:
Most black bears range in size from 100 to 400 pounds, are 5 to 6 feet in length and average 3 feet high at the shoulder. The majority of bears in Ohio weigh between 125-250 pounds, and are juvenile male bears. Dispersing young black bears will often travel great distances in search of new habitat and are most likely to be seen by or interact with humans. These bears are extremely agile and are able to run up to 35 mph, climb trees with ease and swim long distances.
