‘He was just hungry’: Homeowner recalls spotting black bear in Antioch

ANTIOCH, Ill. (WLS) — For the second time in a week, people in Lake County, Illinois found a surprise visitor at their home.

A black bear was spotted in unincorporated Antioch Saturday evening as one homeowner on Deer Ridge Lane caught a photo of it on their porch.

“It’s just not something that normally happens here in Antioch,” said Natalie Fields. “Heard a loud crash. Long story short, it was my metal bird feeder that was bolted to my deck, and he pulled the whole thing down, and I assumed it was raccoons because we have a lot of raccoons, and I went to the door. He’s just standing there, looking at me.”

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded to the home, along with the Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources, warning neighbors to keep pets and children inside.

The DNR said in the last 20 years, there have been at least eight confirmed bear sighting in Illinois.

Fields said when she opened her door, the bear ran off into the woods.

“But now, no one’s seen him since so I’m wondering is he up a tree,” Fields said.

A similar situation happened just days prior in the Gurnee Mills parking lot as parents were surprised by a black bear while dropping their kids off at kinder care.

SEE ALSO | Gurnee police say black bear sighting reported in northern suburb

At this point, it’s not clear if that’s the same bear that was spotted Saturday night, but DNR officials are giving some tips to keep residents safe in the meantime. They said it’s important to never run or surprise the bear, and to make some noise to let the bear know you’re there without approaching it.

“He didn’t seem aggressive or anything. He was just hungry,” Fields said.

You can report bear sightings here.

What to do if you encounter a bear:

• Do not surprise the bear. Make noise to ensure that the bear is aware of your presence. A black bear is not likely to attack a person unless it feels trapped or provoked.

• Respect the bear’s space, and do not approach the animal.

• If the bear sees you, stand your ground; look as large as possible by standing up straight and putting your arms up in the air and slowly back away.

• If possible, go inside a building or get into a vehicle. Black bears display two types of behavior-defensive and offensive.

• A bear may swat at the ground or surrounding vegetation, lunge toward you, vocalize, blow air out of its mouth, or pop its jaws. These defensive behaviors are used to warn you to move away. Slowly back away from the bear.

• With offensive behavior, the bear will move towards you quickly. If you have food with you, drop the food, and keep moving away from the bear.

• If a black bear makes contact with you, always try to fight it off. Do not play dead.