Black bears has been spotted roaming neighborhoods in Baton Rouge, and the Covington and Abita Springs areas of St. Tammany Parish, and in according to reports received by the Sheriff’s Office. LDWF Large Carnivore Program Manager John Hanks says while not common, bear sightings in the parish aren’t unusual.
“Those young males if they got to be three or four years old, they’ve been pushed out by mom when they were two, and they are trying to establish a new home range, and they run across a big male and he runs them off, and they are just looking for a place to live.”
Hanks confirmed that bears live in the area but are rarely seen and says the biggest bear in Louisiana was 698 lbs.
“But that’s kind of an anomaly. A big bear in Louisinaa is 500 to 550 lbs, but we commonly have bears 250 to 400 lbs.”
Hanks says if you encounter a bear, don’t run and back away slowly. Don’t yell at the bear, but be loud and calm…
“That bear recognized that you are bigger than him or her and that you’re not something to eat.”
Louisiana black bears, once considered threatened, were removed from the Endangered Species List in 2016, and bear hunting quotas have since increased.
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