Sheriff's office receives report of second, 'huge' bear near Dexter; DNR sets live trap
Since the sighting of a young bear near Dexter on Saturday, both AnnArbor.com and the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s office have received reports that the Dexter bear might be the Dexter bears.
This bear might have some company, a second bear has been sighted near Dexter.
Picture Courtesy Washtenaw Sherriff's Office
The Department of Natural Resources had been speculating that the bear is a young male chased off of an older male’s territory. This theory could be in question with the sightings of what could be a “mama” bear.
Debbi Munson Badini, a DNR spokeswoman, said that the department has set a live trap in the sub-division off of Mast Road where the sightings have been taking place.
"There is some food in the trap, but he has not entered the trap yet," Badini said. "If he is live trapped we will be putting a radio collar on him."
The collar would be used to track the bear, and it would then become a part of the DNR's research study on black bears in the lower peninsula.
According to an email from Derrick Jackson, a Sheriff’s office spokesman, a resident on Mast Road encountered both bears.
“[She] heard her dog barking. When she went out to see what was going on she found that the cub was up in a tree, with the dog barking at it,” Jackson wrote. “ It was then that she saw a larger bear who stood up on its hind legs and was ‘huge.’”
This comes following a sighting last week of a “full grown” bear northwest of Chelsea by Dave Beatty. According to Beatty, he was driving down Waterloo Road between Cassidy Lake and Lingane Road when he saw a bear by the side of the road.
“It was a big bear,” he told AnnArbor.com. “Definitely not a cub.”
Badini stressed that the original bear was a yearling, not a cub, and people could mistake it for an adult bear. She added that the DNR has not received any reports of sightings since Tuesday.
“If people are seeing the bear, they need to report it to us,” she said. “We need to know what’s going on.”
Authorities have said the best way to report a bear sighting is to call 911.
The Dexter Bear has become a mini pop-culture phenomenon recently in the region. The @DexterMIBear twitter account is slowly accumulating followers. AnnArbor.com also received a report of someone in a “full bear costume” startling a passing driver on Huron River Drive just west of Zeeb Road, apparently as a practical joke.
Ben Freed is a summer intern at AnnArbor.com. You can reach him by email at benfreed@annarbor.com or by phone at (734)-623-4674. Follow him on Twitter @BFreedInA2.
Comments
maverik
Mon, Jun 20, 2011 : 9:40 p.m.
DNR- here is something for you to think about: maybe the bear sighting on waterloo and cassidy rd. and the one at met. park is the same bear., it could travel that far. And maybe it isn't taking the bait is because you are trying to trap a wild bear and just maybe this bear is a "tame" bear that was raised by humans and on human type foods, it either got too big or un-controllable and it was either let loose or got away, that is why it is staying in the same area and not too afraid of people. DNR should know these things. The sorry part about this is the bear is going to end up getting in teouble soon and will no doubt be shot or hit by traffic. People take these wild animals when they are small and think they can tame them and keep them like one would a dog or cat and at some point the animal gets to be too much for them and the people weren't suppose to have it to begin with and than don't know what to do with it and maybe let it go or it escapes. The animal always suffers in the end, people like this need to be held accountable for their actions. I would sugest that DNR treat this bear as just that and not collar it and let it roam loose because I'll just bet that it is excatly what I have said.
Kurt
Sun, Jun 19, 2011 : 3:12 p.m.
Just leave the bears be. Is a live trap really necessary. Classic case of the gov. messing with nature. Those bears are harmless.
Cathie
Sat, Jun 18, 2011 : 8:17 p.m.
Beary funny!
Susie Q
Sat, Jun 18, 2011 : 4:19 p.m.
The Waterloo bear might have escaped from the Klink property
maverik
Mon, Jun 20, 2011 : 9:42 p.m.
you just might be right
rocco
Sat, Jun 18, 2011 : 4:16 p.m.
This might be the perfect opportunity for Ann Arbor to start an urban zoo. With all the extra money DDA is collecting with new parking meters around town, we even have the financing for it. Maybe somewhere in the flood zone or proposed greenway. Get on this AA. Opportunity has no hair on the back of its head.
Tru2Blu76
Sat, Jun 18, 2011 : 7:59 p.m.
We already have an urban zoo: it's called Liberty Square. The animals look unkempt though and instead of begging for food, they beg for (or insist on) money.
JJ
Sat, Jun 18, 2011 : 3:27 p.m.
There are at least 3 bears out there. Where there's a cub, there's a Momma AND Pappa bear. Nice to see wildlife like this habitating in the Huron River area. Just give them the space they deserve.
bunnyabbot
Sat, Jun 18, 2011 : 6:58 p.m.
eh, not true. After the bears mate the female and male part ways. She dens for the winter and then gives birth to 1-3 cubs usually in Feb. When the sow and cubs emerge in the spring they stay away from other bears, males or other females with cubs. Male bears will kill any cubs if given a chance. Because of this sows will take their cubs to new areas to stay out of a males territory. When the cubs have gone through the second year of thier lives they part ways with their mothers. They then have to go find their own territory. The mama bear at this time will go back out to mate. Usually mating and giving birth every 2-3 years. As far as the possibility of their being a male near by this Mama bear and cub even without hanging around them it is very much unlikely. A female bear will roam away from males territories by quite a distance. (when you see those shows on tv that show bears all hanging around a salmon run or fighting it is usually during mating season or because of an easy food source, bears don't live that way usually, they are very solitary animals) I also think I remember a2.com/mlive reporting the possibility of a black bear sighted near manchester a couple years ago. A bear in Manchester and Dexter would both fall into a territory of a bear.
Taskmaster
Sat, Jun 18, 2011 : 3 p.m.
Living in Dexter for the past 25 years I've seen a lot of changes. I hope these bears do not attract more of the yahoos and idiots that have already infested our area ( humans ). But alas, they will surly show up in groves. This is not Yellowstone National Park. Leave the bears alone. That goes for the DNR as well.
jhammer
Sat, Jun 18, 2011 : 1:30 p.m.
Wait - TWO bears?!!! How dare Mother Nature encroach on us like this. I mean, as environmentally friendly people here in the A2 area, we love nature. Just not in our backyard. Guess I'd better replan the family pic-i-nic today.
OLDTIMER3
Sat, Jun 18, 2011 : 12:47 p.m.
@ A2K, What makes you think Black Bears can't be huge? Here is one that set a Michigan handgun record. Courtesy Photo/Russ BlakeRuss Blake poses with a black bear that broke the scale at 505 pounds with the bear's back legs and one side of its rear still on the ground.Go to MLIVE and search for Michigan record Black Bear to see the pictures. But I would call that bear huge.
Brad
Sat, Jun 18, 2011 : 12:34 p.m.
Now if I have my history correct the trap should be baited with a pic-i-nic basket.
vg550
Sat, Jun 18, 2011 : 11:54 a.m.
Just wondering ~~ all these sightings ~~~ and only one picture? Doesn't just about everyone have a cell phone these days. I see anything suspicious and I take a cell phone picture just in case I, or the police, might need it.
Dexter Bear
Sat, Jun 18, 2011 : 2:13 a.m.
Twitter is silly. I have my own Facebook page now. Show me some love. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Dexter-Bear/117438815009436" rel='nofollow'>http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Dexter-Bear/117438815009436</a>
smokeblwr
Sat, Jun 18, 2011 : 1:41 a.m.
Im in ur metroparks eating ur foods....
Latana
Sat, Jun 18, 2011 : 12:17 a.m.
Go Bears!!!
A2comments
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 11:16 p.m.
Putting a radio collar on the bear is silly. Everyone knows bears prefer Ipods...
M1687
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 9:31 p.m.
I'm a little confused here. Why would we want to capture the bear and just put a radio collar on it instead of transporting it to another location? Why take the risk of having the bears around an area that isn't used to them? Someone could get hurt one way or another. So for the sake of science and research we now have bears in the area?
maverik
Mon, Jun 20, 2011 : 9:46 p.m.
you are right. For what ever reason the bear is in this area ,it should not be. Trap it and remove it to a safe place for the bear and people sakes. But as time goes on ,someone will end up shooting it because thats what stupid people do. DNR, get smart, it is not a wild bear, come on, it probably was raised by humans and it should be treated as such and help this bear before it suffers.
bunnyabbot
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 9:52 p.m.
and I would rather have a black bear in my back yard than a alligator under my car like you can in parts of florida or scorpians or snakes in the house like in the south west.
bunnyabbot
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 9:44 p.m.
they generally do not relocate an animal until it has shown to have nuisance behavior. Additionally, I believe that bears have been working thier way south in the state and the DNR would like to study them. Bears generally were found through most of the US before people hunted them and ran off the population of them. So really we are in thier area and not them in ours.
Bogie
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 9:22 p.m.
@A2k- Funny, you haven't even seen the bear, and you make the claim of bears "aren't huge" and "bears much larger in Pacific northwest." The average weight for a female black bear (according to the bear association-yes, there is a site on the internet) is a 150 lbs (with a range of 90 to 300). Unless, your a former NFL linebacker, that is pretty big. I, too came across a black bear in Newport, TN. It was not afraid of people either. Some young lady got to close to him, and he stood up. Every hair on the back of my neck stood up! I considered him huge. Finally, just for record. The largest black bear ever shot was in North Carolina (bear association web site), and he weighed 880 lbs.
Tom Teague
Sat, Jun 18, 2011 : 1:29 p.m.
Bogle - I have to ask, what were you doing in Newport, TN? That's the location of my ancestral manse, such as it is.
jcj
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 11:57 p.m.
You want to see big? I have been 30 yards from the Brown bears at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park. With nothing but air and knee deep water between us. Now that is big!
bunnyabbot
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 8:48 p.m.
while most bears turn tail and run from people a mama bear could just as easily attack/defend thier young if no retreat is easily found. (although almost always they would rather runaway then have a confirtation). With the cub treed by a dog the mama could easily take a swipe at the dog or become greatly agitated if a human came by when they were stressed out. Also a yearling hanging around would still have a mama. Bears usually stay around mom through their second year of age. Black bears are curious. In addition to how people store thier garbage bears get into birdfeeders and suet cages, they'll empty out hummingbird feeders. They will slice through a screened in porch to get to a bowl of dog or cat food. The more a bear becomes use to easy pickings they can go so far as peeling the seals around car windows to pop out a window to get to food in a car (videos online of them doing this in Yellowstone) also black bears near lake tahoe over the last few years have OPENED doors ransacking homes, opening fridges and gorged themselves on groceries. Several years ago a black bear entered David Lettermans home in Montana ate food in the kitchen and chomped into several cans of beer before passing out in the house. Black bears although most likely to run away can still get dementia/rapid like diseases which can make them really pissed off or react unexpectedly (more so than just being a wild animal). Black bears are climbers, so if you were to climb a tree to get away a pissed off or overly curious bear might climb up after you just to drag you down for the fun of it. Also don't do the turtle on the ground (that would be if you came across a Grizzly, when it comes to bears if its brown, lie down, if it's black, fight back). Usually just making a lot of noise will get them to run off. if you live in the area and you are out walking take some sleigh bells and don't just listen to your ipod.
bunnyabbot
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 10:02 p.m.
I want to add that if a bear ingests something (like antifreeze or something) if it doesn't kill them a drunk/drugged bear than everything you think about how a bear should act goes out the window. I have seen a wild animal be loopy from licking wet paint. In can happen. So don't leave that kind of stuff outside for animals to get into!
Top Cat
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 8:33 p.m.
Any possibility of the Woolly Mammoth making a comeback ? I figured if Buffalo Springfield can make a comeback and if bears come to Dexter....well anything is possible.
Brad Jensen
Sat, Jun 18, 2011 : 12:51 p.m.
Yup. <a href="http://singularityhub.com/2011/01/19/japanese-scientist-wants-to-clone-a-woolly-mammoth-in-the-next-five-years/" rel='nofollow'>http://singularityhub.com/2011/01/19/japanese-scientist-wants-to-clone-a-woolly-mammoth-in-the-next-five-years/</a>
jcj
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 8:33 p.m.
Huge is in the eye of the beholder. I have had people with me see an average size buck and think it was a world record. Generally speaking the smaller the ears look the bigger the bear.
jcj
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 11:26 p.m.
I am not saying a 150 pound bear is anything I would want to wrestle, but it is a relatively small bear. I know I have hunted bears.
bunnyabbot
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 9:46 p.m.
black bears can also sprint up to 30 mph when and if they choose to!
bunnyabbot
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 9:21 p.m.
yeah, but bears have a deceiving poofy fur coat on them that makes them bigger than they are, even a 150 pound female is big, considering a bear has a whole lot more muscle on it than flub compared to a human. It's the force of the 150 pounds pouncing or taking a swing at you that you have to worry about.
huh7891
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 8:22 p.m.
Call them Yogi and Boo Boo?
Tru2Blu76
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 8:04 p.m.
Just to add some information to this mixed gabbling of facts, humor and opinion: the postulated female ("momma") black bear could weigh as little as 90 pound to as much as 300 pounds - the average is 150 pounds. (Males range of weight and average weight is nearly double that of females with "physical dimensions" being 33% larger.) Human visual perception: Evolution has gifted our species with good vision and a 'hard-wired" brain oriented toward detecting and "emphasizing" unusual elements ( very much including wild life) in our environment. We - always - see potential dangers and unusual sights as larger than they really are. If the woman who saw the "huge" bear standing near her property is normal: the description fits because a 150 pound female black bear might stand about 5 feet tall. Nothing is reported on this woman's own height but if you see a wild animal that nearly matches your own height standing near you - you WILL be impressed. :-)
Sasha9441
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 7:58 p.m.
Maybe they're hanging out at BearClaw. Bah dum dah.... :)
BBC
Sat, Jun 18, 2011 : 12:49 p.m.
typo...
BBC
Sat, Jun 18, 2011 : 12:48 p.m.
I doubt it, the bears have better taste than that! Maybe Statrbucks.
A2comments
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 11:12 p.m.
BEARLY funny...
Fredric
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 8:35 p.m.
I can see the possibility of a new T shirt for the shirt for the area!! Someone should grab the opportunity!
Fredric
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 8:33 p.m.
I think it is one of the employees in a bear suit. Glad he is not in his own bear suit!!!
dconkey
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 8:09 p.m.
Or Grizzly Peaks
ChelseaBob
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 7:50 p.m.
My favorite part of all this was the last line of the Sheriff department release that said "Do not attempt to capture the bear". I'm still highly amused by that.
BBC
Sat, Jun 18, 2011 : 12:46 p.m.
What's the humor? I definately can see some people out there, without a full deck, trying to catch the bear, can't you?
A2K
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 6:53 p.m.
Even full-grown, black bears aren't "huge/big" - of course you should 100% avoid them, but they are usually very shy and will run if they see a person (unless they've been fed repeatedly etc.) Living in the Pacific Northwest we had MUCH larger bears, and no issues between them and people 99.9% of the time (was usually property destruction).
Bertha Venation
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 6:39 p.m.
Where's Ellie-May? She'll get him.
wolfman jack
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 6:36 p.m.
The sighting of the bear costume along Huron drive (last night , 6:15 PM ) is clearly not an attempt to imitate a bear. The fellow looked like a Yogi suit without a tie and collar. Bear awareness - perhaps. Never could this be confused for a real omnivore. It might be confused for Scooby. The bear suit guy waved. The proliferation of "night before" trash cans really has to stop while the bears are in the area. The yearling is an annoyance on a post-dark dog walk. The mother is a different story altogether. A little caution and everything can be fine.
Mr. Tibbs
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 6:20 p.m.
smarter than the average ann arborite
CincoDeMayo
Sat, Jun 18, 2011 : 12:17 p.m.
I thought "That's one smart bear." when I read his comment. : )
WalkingJoe
Fri, Jun 17, 2011 : 8:39 p.m.
@Mr. Tibbs, I laughed out loud when I read your comment.