Campers at a Hamilton Township Girl Scout camp are taking extra safety precautions after a black bear was spotted twice in the area, once in the camp itself.
The bear was seen Tuesday night and again Wednesday morning at the camp in Warren County near Maineville. The Girl Scouts of Western Ohio sent out a memo to parents. The CEO says workers are doing everything they came to keep the 200 girls in the camp and the 50 volunteers safe.
The girls who are staying overnight are staying in secure lodges rather than tents as a safety precaution. They are also being more careful about garbage and food disposal. And the girls are being kept in large groups during outings.
A family from Waynesville spotted the bear the first time, a ranger saw it on Wednesday morning. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources believes the smell of food may be luring the bear to the camp. So far, the bear hasn't damaged anything or hurt anyone. They believe it will move on at the end of the week when the camp wraps up.
ODNR says the bear has been seen a dozen times since May 22 in the following locations: Sprigg Township in Western Adams County, Russelville in eastern Brown County, Mount Orab at State Route 32/68, Western Highland County, Hillsboro, Clinton/Fayette County line, Wilmington Caesar Creek Lake (10 days ago), Waynesville/Clear Creek Township area (last Wednesday), Springboro Great Miami River between Miamisburg & Springboro (Monday, seen swimming) and this latest sighting in the Maineville/Hamilton Township area.
Bret Beatty, Ohio Department of Natural Resources; "We're essentially relying on citizen reports at this point. And for the most part they've been pretty darn reliable here especially tracking this young fellow."
The black bear is a protected species in Ohio and it is illegal to shoot the bear unless it is endangering someone's life. If you see a bear, call the Ohio Division of Wildlife at 1-800-WILDLIFE. The ODW tries to track the movement of bears in the state of Ohio. They believe there are 20 to 50 black bears in the wild in Ohio.
