Wild bear found in Meridian



By Otha Barham

outdoors editor





A black bear has been spotted living inside Meridian’s city limits — a rarity for this part of the state.

Last week Brandel Russell of Collinsville was tending some summer deer plots on land managed by Goforth Forest Management that extends inside the city limits in the southwest corner of Meridian. Deer were eating his young soybean plants, thus ruining his crop. To divert the deer from his fields, he placed game feeders some distance from the soybeans, hoping the deer would prefer the feed over the soybeans.

During this work he found large bear tracks. Right away he set a trail camera at one of the automatic feeder sites. The first night, last Thursday, the camera recorded a mature bear.

The photos and footprints will meet the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP) requirements for listing Lauderdale County as officially having a black bear exist on the noted date within its borders. The department estimates about 40 to 50 black bears currently inhabit the sate, most of them living in the Delta and along the Mississippi River and coastal areas.

According to an article on the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Web site: “Most of the bears found in the state are believed to be transient males that have wandered across state lines. They are the dispersing products of breeding populations of bears that border our state in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Alabama.”

Having the bear within the Meridian city limits is particularly interesting, officials said. The location is in the dense wooded part of the southwest portion of the city.

This is exciting news to outdoor enthusiasts of all interests. Officials, however said Meridian or county residents should not worry about the presence of a black bear. Another mature bear has been identified in northern Clarke County for two years with no problems reported. Harm to humans or their animals or pets by black bears is extremely rare. However, human involvement can create danger if the bear is fed at or near a residence. Such action almost always leads to losing the bear because the bear becomes accustomed to the food, expects it regularly and if it is withheld or its availability is perceived to be threatened, the bear usually becomes aggressive and has to be trapped and moved or killed, officials said.

The site of the deer feeder where the bear appeared and was photographed will be used as an area for the MDWFP to trap the bear, check its health and attach an electronic collar so the bear’s movements can be monitored.



SUBMITTED PHOTO



BEAR SIGHTING





This black bear was photographed last week by an automatic camera near a deer feeder in the southwest corner of Meridian’s city limits.