Black bear spotted in yard near Richmond

A black bear was spotted Monday in a yard in an unincorporated area near Richmond.

A resident reported a black bear in the yard off Hill Road on a Richmond Facebook group. The village of Richmond has not received any official bear sighting reports but is aware that residents mainly in the unincorporated areas have seen a bear, a spokesperson for the village said.

Last month, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources reported multiple black bear sightings in Lake County. Wildlife biologists believe the same bear appeared in Antioch and in Gurnee.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources recommends residents near bear sightings to secure garbage cans, barbecue grills and bird feeders.

In the case of a bear encounter, the department advises to not run, surprise or approach the bear. Back away slowly and go inside or get into a vehicle, if possible.

Black bears have been protected by the Illinois Wildlife Code since 2015. According to Wildlife Illinois, there are no black bear populations in Illinois, but individual bears have traveled to the state from Missouri or Wisconsin.

Wisconsin's black bear population is "considerably higher than it was 30 years ago," according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Wisconsin data reports to currently have more than 24,000 bears, a 15,000 increase from 1989.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is expanding the amount of hunting permits to combat the increasing population. Last year, more than 4,000 bears were killed by Wisconsin hunters.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources asks if anyone has seen a black bear, mountain lion or gray wolf in the state to report the sighting at wildlifeillinois.org/sightings/report.