JUST VISITING–The Republic-Times shared this picture that a Columbia resident took of the bear while it was in a tree in Columbia.
Sightings of black bears in the local area may be becoming more common, as one was spotted in the Columbia area on Sunday, Aug. 4.
Around 9:30 a.m. on Aug. 4, Monroe County Sheriff Neal Rohlfing noted that the sheriff’s office had received reports of a bear sighting on Croatia Drive, heading towards D Road, in the rural Columbia area.
A report came in later noting that the bear had climbed up a tree in the backyard of a home along North Main Street in Columbia.
By 2:30 p.m., the Columbia Police Department was advising people to avoid the area of North Metter and Rueck Road, as the bear was in that area. They shared that conservation police and Columbia police officers were out, trying to help move the bear along.
IDNR Conservation Police Officer Don Schachner shared that the bear appeared to be a male black bear, which he estimated to be three to four years old.
For more on the recent bear sightings, please see this week’s print edition.