Officials discuss how to handle black bear sightings

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (Newschannel 3) - The shooting of a black bear has caused a lot of unrest in Battle Creek.

That shooting happened in May, when officers felt they had to shoot and kill the bear to protect the public, after it wandered into the city.

Wednesday, police and animal experts discussed what to do if another bear wanders into town.

The DNR says bears are starting to make their way to more southern counties in Michigan, and says it had already started putting together a plan for urban populations, when the incident happened in Battle Creek. Those guidelines are now going to law enforcement agencies across the state.

The DNR says it expects to be notified if there is no immediate threat, and would then respond based on each scenario.

"black bears generally are not going to attack humans, but in urban areas such as Battle Creek, obviously it's a concern," said DNR Conservation Officer Jeffery Goss.

Wednesday's meeting was held at Binder Park Zoo, which is one resource that could respond to a black bear sighting with dart guns, if necessary.

Those at the meeting did point out that it still has to be up to police to access whether there's an immediate threat to public safety.