Following the recent sighting of a black bear near the Old Courthouse Museum in Vicksburg, some residents may be wondering about the status of the black bear in Mississippi and whether or not safety from bears is something to be concerned about.

Anthony Ballard, of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, recently gave a presentation at Crawford Street United Methodist Church about the status of black bears in the area.

According to Ballard, in 1974, black bears were placed on the federal “threatened and endangered species” list. By 2016, they were removed from the list.

Ballard explained that black bears, although they can be cinnamon-colored, are usually black with a brown muzzle. There are two subspecies in Mississippi, the American black bear and the Louisiana black bear. Adult males typically weigh between 250-350 pounds. An adult female usually weighs around 200 pounds and gives birth about once every two years. Cubs are born in the den and spend 12-18 months with their mother before becoming independent, Ballard said.

The largest bear on record in Mississippi, at 468 pounds, was killed on a roadway in Wilkinson County, Ballard said.

Bears are periodically trapped, tranquilized and examined. Samples of their DNA are taken and an overall health assessment done before the implantation of a small chip to identify them.

GPS collars help track the routes bears travel, referred to as “home ranges.” Their journeys throughout Mississippi and even into Louisiana territory and back again are charted on digital maps. Bears are more active in the summer, often traveling hundreds of miles. From this research, Ballard said they have learned not to relocate bears in Mississippi (although other states do), because they are adept at finding their way back.

“This is one of the last, great conservation success stories that we have,” Ballard said. “They were almost extirpated in the state and what we’re doing right now is monitoring that natural growth over time. It is our hope one day that they reach a number that is sustainable for harvest, like the Eastern wild turkey, the white-tailed deer and, more recently, the alligator.”

Once a bear crosses into Mississippi, it becomes a “Mississippi bear,” as Hunter Fordice found out in 2006, when he received a call that a bear with a tracking device originally from Arkansas had pinged as being on his land, located in the Mississippi Delta. This unexpected finding launched Fordice into the world of black bear conservation.

“It just sort of fell in my lap,” Fordice said. He was notified by a previous MDWFP officer, Brad Young, that the bear had been located on his land.

“F920 was a female . . . caught in Arkansas and relocated to Felsenthal. We don’t do that in Mississippi, but Arkansas did. It’s about 100 miles due west of my farm. She swam the river with a cub. I saw tracks (of the bear). That was in ’06.”

 For those who are concerned about interactions with black bears, Ballard advised to minimize attractants.

“There’s a good chance (in this area) that you have bears close by, whether you know it or not. It’s important to do things like putting up pet foods and trash, taking it out the morning of rather than the night before. You want to minimize the exposure to an attractant. Bears have a sense of smell about seven times better than a dog. So, anything a dog will get into, a bear will get into, and he’s even better at it.” He added bird feeders and even barbecue grills will attract bears.

Confrontation with black bears is extremely rare, Ballard said.

“What we tell people to do, if they encounter a bear in the wild, from a distance, just let the bear go on about its business. A lot of times the bear will see or smell you and be gone before you have to deal with the bear. If you’re in a situation where the bear gets a little too close for comfort, then it’s time to get big and loud and scare it away. If you’re really worried about it, bear spray is a good thing . . . it’s safe for the bears and it’s very effective because their sense of smell is very sensitive.”

Any sightings of black bears may be reported to MDWFP at their website, https://xnet2.mdwfp.com/NRIS/Home/BearReport.