Expert: Black bear sightings likely to become more common

CLARKSVILLE, Ind. (AP) - Indiana wildlife experts say black bear sightings likely will become more common in southern Indiana.

Urban wildlife biologist Falyn Owens of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources told a news conference Thursday that an expanding population is driving black bears northward into Indiana. A bear was spotted Monday in and around Corydon, about 20 miles west of Louisville, Kentucky. That bear was last seen in nearby Washington County.

She says people who encounter bears should never feed them. Owens says black bears are shy, but when they learn to associate humans with food, they can become aggressive.

The Department of Natural Resources is asking people that spot a black bear to take a photo of it and report it to the agency.