Black Bears in Faribault?!

Have you seen a black bear in Faribault recently? Then the DNR wants to hear about it!

The DNR is asking for our help to track sightings of black bears outside of their primary range.

Where is their primary range? It's the black area on the map linked here. Black bears are expanding southward and westward and the DNR wants to track where they're going in order to keep Minnesotans as informed as possible.

What the DNR is looking for is if you see a black bear in Southern and Western Minnesota, you should report it through this link. On the form, they ask for your name and contact information but they will never make that information public.

This map is actually kind of crazy to look at. When I first looked at the map around 4:30 yesterday (Thursday) there were 4 or 5 reports. Now today, around noon, there are already 13!

The DNR states that they will "not respond to nuisance complaints submitted through this form. Please call your local Wildlife Manager or Conservation Officer if you require assistance with a nuisance bear."

So far there haven't been any reports near Faribault, but keep your eyes peeled for black bears this spring and summer!

Source: Minnesota DNR

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