Black bear spotted near Clayhatchee

By Ebony Horton

Published: July 1, 2008

What some Clayhatchee residents saw early Tuesday was definitely a black bear, but the “old fella” may have just been passing through to find a mate, according to authorities.

Sgt. Mike Heath of the Alabama Department of Conservation, Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries confirmed paw prints of a likely 300 to 400-pound black bear were seen near the softball fields in Clayhatchee on Tuesday morning.

At least three residents, one of whom had seen the bear in a back yard, reported the sightings, Heath said.

Heath said it was not completely unusual for a bear from Florida or the Mobile delta to travel between 200 and 300 miles in search for a mate.

Heath said he seriously doubted the bear would come live locally.

“It’s not something that’s going to come in and steal all of the dogs, cats and chickens. The only time he would be aggressive is if he felt cornered. You typically don’t have random bear attacks,” Heath said.

“He is federally and state-protected, so it would be a serious offense” for someone to do something to him.

Heath said the initial bear sighting was in someone’s back yard, while the second report was when someone from across a road mistook the bear for a wild hog.

“The bear was still moving, so maybe it’s back in the swamps by now,” Heath said.

Heath said there was another report where someone saw the bear from across a road.

A bear was also sighted in Covington County last year, he said.