State Wildlife Agencies routinely tell residents who report seeing animals considered extirpated in the state that "they must have seen something else".......Two weeks ago a call came into the Indiana Dept of Natural Resources claiming that a Black Bear was seen in Northwest Indiana............Six years ago Conservation Officers confirmed a Bruin had been seen in the State but that officially, no Black Bears reside in Indiana..........Neighboring Ohio has a small recovering Bear population as does neighboring Kentucky,Illinois and Michigan..........If Indiana has some mixed woods habitat, expect the Black Bears to find their way back

Indiana DNR won't believe black bear sighting

ndystar.com

BY:Skip Hess

Bob Haskin said he was excited when he made a call to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources on April 20 to report his sighting of a black bear in Northwest Indiana.The person taking the call wasn't as excited, according to Haskin."He said, 'There are no black bears in Indiana.' I told him that I know a black bear when I see one and that it definitely was a black bear," Haskin said in a recent phone interview.But the DNR listener insisted again, "There are no black bears living in Indiana.""I said, 'Well, then, I saw one vacationing in Indiana.' I don't think he appreciated that very much," Haskin chuckled.

Haskin, who lives near Winter Haven, Fla., said he was driving north on I-65, south of the Roselawn exit, when he first saw the bear at the 220-mile marker on that sunny Friday afternoon."It was 1:05 p.m. and it came from the west and was headed east. It didn't seem like it was scared or was running from something," he said. "It was just galloping across the northbound lane. It looked over its right shoulder and kept the same cadence and speed."Haskin estimated the bear's weight at between 200 and 250 pounds. He said he is certain other travelers saw what he saw because some vehicles slowed and pulled slightly off the road.

Haskin wished the DNR had taken him seriously, he said, because once the bear crossed the interstate, it went into a plowed field and would have left tell-tale paw prints."It really doesn't matter to me," he said. "I'm concerned that kids may be out playing in the woods, or someone could be hunting (and be confronted)," he said.

If this story sounds familiar, you might recall a Feb. 19 column about a man who wanted to know if there were black bears in Indiana. A Jackson County resident insisted he saw a black bear on his property.

DNR spokesman Phil Bloom said conservation officers had indeed confirmed a black bear report six years ago.Bloom said a man had a video of a black bear in his backyard near Muscatatuck National Refuge in Jackson County. He said that how the bear got to Jackson County and where it went after the sighting is unknown.

The DNR has confirmed that mountain lions and wild (feral) boars are in Indiana.
Oh," Haskin said when told about the Indiana boars, "you don't want those!" He explained that they are damaging property all over Florida. "Once you get them, you can't get rid of them."

As for the black bear sighting, I believe Haskin.Why not? The Ohio Department of Natural Resources estimates there are about 100 adult black bears (some sows with cubs) in that state.
Wild black bears also are in Illinois, Michigan and Kentucky