Bear cubs and mom spotted in Big Bend, bear population on the rise

BIG BEND, Texas (KOSA) -

A video out of Big Bend is going viral on Twitter and it’s not hard to see why. It shows a few black bear cubs wrestling on a patio while their mom watches nearby.

Spotting bears in residential areas like this has become more common lately, but not for the reason you might think.

You might have seen the phrase “nature is healing” alongside videos of emboldened animals walking through residential areas as more people keep indoors.

However, that’s not what’s going on here.

The Texas Wildlife Services who said our four legged mountain friends have been on the up and up for some time. As a matter of fact, throughout the last decade Texas' bear population has been steadily growing and in this last year they’ve wandering further and further away from their usual habitats.

“So, we now have regular reports in the Davis Mountains, in the mountain ranges around Alpine and then further East through Terrell County, Balmorhea County, Crockett County and in some of the hill country counties we get bear reports,” Wildlife Service’s Trans-Pecos District Leader Michael Janis said.

Of course, while we all love a good bear video, Wildlife Services is advising everyone not to get too comfortable because if our four-legged friends are fed and keep coming back, that could put them in a dangerous situation.

Bears are going to be more active in these next few months before they hibernate for the winter.

So, if you see them wandering near your home, be sure to keep a lot more than six feet away.

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