Paging Goldilocks

This summer, suburban Dayton buzzed with sightings of a female black bear roaming yards, crossing fields and showing up on security cameras in the middle of the night.

But University of Dayton wildlife ecologist and conservation scientist Mariela Gantchoff said that’s a good sign.

“The fact that sightings are increasing is telling us that Ohio’s landscapes can now support these large carnivores and they can persist here, which is a very good sign of habitat quality and connectivity,” she said. “I think it’s a sign of ecological recovery. It is good news.”

Thanks to a grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Gantchoff and a doctoral student researcher have begun capturing, tagging and marking up to 35 black bears to collect data on their biology and movement patterns. They use a humane culvert trap, then deliver an immobilization drug with a pole syringe — ignoring the conventional wisdom, “Don’t poke the bear.”

“We’re literally poking the bear, yeah, with a needle,” she said. GPS collars then track the bears in their natural habitat. Gantchoff hopes the work will help wildlife agencies better predict and manage bear-human interactions while maintaining habitat protection and coexistence efforts.

While Ohio was once rich in black bears, they became locally extinct by the mid-1800s due to hunting and deforestation. Today, an estimated 50–100 live in southern and northeastern Ohio, most coming from Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Black bears are key to healthy forest ecosystems, aiding in seed dispersal and nutrient cycling and providing food from smaller animals for scavengers. But as populations grow, encounters with humans — often driven by the search for food — are likely to become more common.

Public outreach on securing garbage, keeping pet food indoors and managing bird feeders can help reduce risks for those living near bear habitats.

“Preventing conflict is cheaper, easier and a lot more effective than trying to mitigate stuff after it’s happening,” Gantchoff said.

With the right precautions, Gantchoff said Ohio can make room for its returning black bears — without inviting them to dinner.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

A version of this article appears in print in the Autumn 2025 University of Dayton Magazine, Page 20. EXPLORE THE ISSUE — MORE ONLINE