People a short distance south of Aurora were surprised to see a young, black bear in their backyards recently. Reports from those who saw the bear indicated he stayed around to enjoy food items he found he yards and then made his exit.
“We have a young, male, black bear that has been found in the Aurora area. He has caused some minor problems, mainly getting into people's trash and bird feeders. We are hoping, with cooperation from the public, we will be able to prevent any further damage,” said Conservation Agent Andy Barnes with the Missouri Department of Conservation.
“We responded to a call on July 14 about a possible bear siting south of Aurora. Officers responded and spoke with the caller who had heard his dog barking,” said Lawrence County Sheriff Brad DeLay.
When the man went to see what was happening, he found a black bear in the back of his pickup going through trash.
“This startled both the bear and the caller. The bear took off and climbed a nearby tree. The bear went up the tree approximately 60 foot,” said the sheriff.
“The conservation department was notified. The decision was made that everyone was to leave the area and the bear would eventually come down,” said Sheriff DeLay
“We were going to the library this morning, and Joey was first out the door, returning quickly to tell Jim there was a bear in the yard,” said Gene Ballay about his son finding and telling about the bear.
“Sure enough, when I looked, there was a bear enjoying breakfast at our bird feeder, which was full of chopped corn, about 5.5 feet above ground level,” added Ballay.
“It took him about 1.5 hours of eating, relaxing, looking around and eating again, to finish off the feed, after which he departed the area,” continued Ballay.
“The Missouri Conservation Department tells me it is very rare for a black bear to threaten humans, as they mainly feed on grass and insects. The best strategy is to ensure that all food sources have been removed. Capturing the bear is a last resort,” added Ballay.
Jill McCulloch, who lives in the area, sent photos to friends and associates of the bear that was in her neighbor’s back yard. She noted her son, Lane, is working on a name for the bear--maybe Grizwald.
“Who says there is nothing to do in Aurora?” asked McCulloch about the excitement of the bear.
Agent Barnes noted earlier this week the bear has been sighted almost every day.
(See accompanying story with information from the Missouri Conservation Department.)
