Coming Out Party For Black Bears in MS

June has been like a coming out party for black bears in Central Mississippi and being caught on camera.
 

A photo was shared over the weekend of a bear that was in a tree in the resident's front yard in Satartia, MS.  Bears have also been spotted in Clinton on Pinehaven Road and along Highway 18 near Pentecostal Drive.  Sightings have also been seen in Yazoo County.  Motorist in the area should proceed with caution.

Anyone who sees a bear should call Animal Control at 769-257-1899.  

Wildlife biologist said the bear population is growing and young bears are being pushed out of their homes. "These little young guys are just wandering everywhere," said Richard Rummel, of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.  "They will hit a creek bottom, a river bottom, any wooded area.  

They are kind of looking for their own home range."   Black bears can cover a lot of ground.  Tank, a black bear at the Jackson Zoo, was released in north Mississippi and then captured again a year later in Mobile County, Alabama.