The Morrow County Sheriff's Office confirmed that a black bear was spotted in the area on Friday. According to the sheriff's office, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife was aware of the bear being seen on County Road 20 in Harmony Township. There has been no human or wildlife conflict, according to the sheriff’s office. “Please remember to give the bear its space and let it enjoy our beautiful county,” the sheriff’s office said. On Tuesday, a black bear was caught on camera roaming a field east of Pataskala. It was the first confirmed sighting of a black bear in Licking County in more than 20 years, according to ODNR. The bear, most likely a young male, was spotted near York Road, and wildlife officials say it’s likely just passing through. Black bears are considered endangered in Ohio, and sightings in Licking County remain rare — the last sighting was in 2003. Before that, there were only five others spotted in the county since 1994. It’s unclear whether the bear spotted in Morrow County was a different bear than in Licking County. ODNR says many of the bears that are spotted in Ohio are young males dispersing, which means that they are wandering long distances looking for females. They added that since there are few resident females in the state they tend to move on quickly. “Only in recent years have there been evidence of females with cubs. Once a female establishes a home range, they tend to stay there. Ohio has an estimated bear population of 50-100 individuals,” a spokesperson wrote. The spokesperson said that the Division of Wildlife will monitor the bear and respond if it becomes a nuisance or poses a public safety risk. Black bears are more commonly found in the forested regions of eastern Ohio. There were 161 sightings reported in 2022.