Bear spotted in Madeira on Friday morning

After wandering around a Montgomery subdivision Thursday, a black bear that has been making its way north from Kentucky for several days was spotted early Friday in Madeira.

The bear was not seen for more than 12 hours after being spotted just after noon near Hopewell Cemetery on Montgomery Road in Montgomery, police said early Friday.

Then, just after 6:30 a.m., someone called 911 and said they spotted the bear in the area of Miami Avenue and Loannes Court, just down the road from Madeira High School, initial dispatches indicate.

About 7:45 a.m., there was another sighting reported on Camargo Road near Shawnee Run Road.

Wildlife officials think the 2- to 3-year-old bear, estimated to be about 85 pounds, swam across the Ohio river from Northern Kentucky on Friday, and then made its way to Clermont County before heading into northeastern Hamilton County.

Police and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife have been tracking its movements since Tuesday, when it was spotted in Miami Township.

He stirred up excitement - and some anxiety - in the Winds subdivision, where he was spotted between 6:30 am and 11 a.m. before heading southeast.

Drivers and residents are asked to be on alert for the animal.

"We are asking our residents to be aware of their surroundings, to keep pets and children indoors and to not approach the bear," said Faith Lynch, Montgomery assistant director of community engagement.

Wildlife officials are taking a hands-off approach and are urging the public not to look for the bear so that it can continue its trek undisturbed.

Officials don't plan to intervene unless the bear climbs into a tree or otherwise gets cornered somewhere. Tranquilizing the animal is considered a last resort.

Ben Degenhardt and his daughter, Lucy, spotted the bear walking across Windpoint Place in Montgomery at about 11 a.m. Thursday.

"It was just wandering along just for a short time and then into the backyard of the house next door," Degenhardt said. The bear moved so fast, the family didn't have time to grab a camera.

"He is going to roam around for a while; let him do his own thing," said Wildlife Officer Matt Roberts. "We wouldn't step in unless it becomes an immediate threat to the public or gets trapped."

Wildlife officials urge the public to give the bear room to wander and stay back so he can continue his journey.

Immature male bears like this one like to go out and wander around, trying to find their own territory or a mate, said Wildlife Officer Jimmy Carnes.

"You can think of him as a 13-year-old adolescent who has the keys to his grandfather's tractor and is driving down the cornfield," Carnes said.

Authorities received more than a dozen calls reporting bear sightings Thursday morning starting at about 7:15 a.m., Lynch said.

Tucker Groppe, 9, and his brother, Hudson, 7, were riding with their mom in the family's van looking for the bear Thursday morning.

"We really want to find him so we can see him in real life," Hudson said. "It's fun to see bears."

Matt Schneider, who lives in Montgomery, said he saw the bear at about 7:30 a.m. in his Southwind Drive backyard.

State wildlife officials called off the search Wednesday after trying to push the bear to rural areas.

Reporter Adam Kiefaber contributed.