GREENHILLS, Ohio — A new resident made their arrival known in Greenhills Monday morning.
The village's police department said an officer spotted a black bear in the commons during routine patrol. The video they shared shows the bear running as the officer attempts to shine a spotlight on it while driving.
Greenhills police said the bear's last known location was behind Our Lady of the Rosary Church on Farragut Road.
We spoke with Police Chief Jim Howarth, who told us the sighting was reported to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, which noted that black bears are a protected species in Ohio.
While sightings around here aren't too rare, officials did provide tips on what to do if you see a black bear in your neighborhood.
"They don't like noise, so be loud to scare them off," Howarth said. "And remain calm ... don't corner it is the biggest thing. They don't feel threatened unless they're cornered and feel trapped ... so always give them a way out."
And to keep bears from wanting to come toward your home, Howarth said being mindful of your trash can be the most important tip.
"Keep (trash) secured, keep their lids on their cans. Keep them tight ... they're pretty adamant to get into where they want to get, so you know, even the videos you see from down south in Tennessee of black bears trying to get into vehicles because they can actually smell the food inside a car."
We received video just over a week ago showing a bear breaking into a Tri-State family's car and rummaging through the items while the family vacationed in Gatlinburg.
The Paschka family told us they've learned a valuable lesson about how to keep bears out of their car.
"Luckily ... we had just gotten back from the grocery store and we had taken everything out of there because if we had not, I'm afraid he would've trashed the whole inside of the car," Kevin Paschka said.
Learn more about tips surrounding black bear sightings in the Tri-State here.
