Points North: Bears, bears everywhere

By Daniel Wanschura,

Published November 13, 2020 at 6:42 AM EST

A black bear wanders through the campus of Interlochen Center for the Arts, just south of Kresge Auditorium on November 6, 2020.

The number of black bear sightings in northern Michigan is on the rise, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The black bear is the only species of bear found in Michigan. In the fall, they eat a high volume of food to fatten up for the winter. This is called hyperphagia and they may eat up to 20,000 calories a day.

“The increases are coming in through folks calling biologists and field offices reporting that they’ve seen a bear or they’ve had an encounter with a bear in their yard," says Rachel Leightner, a wildlife outreach coordinator for the Michigan DNR.

Just last week at Interlochen Center for the Arts, a bear was caught on a security camera meandering through the middle of campus in the early morning hours.

"To see one of those guys cut right through campus was quite a surprise," says Joe McCarthy, director of campus security.

But where are all these bears coming from?