West Virginia's burgeoning black bear population is apparently spilling over into Ohio, which has had a rash of bear sightings in Adams County.

Ohio Division of Wildlife Officer Chris Gilkey says the bears most likely migrated across the border from the Mountain State.

Gilkey says Adams County is an ideal habitat for the bears, mainly because of the large unbroken tracts of forest located there.

The black bear is considered endangered in Ohio but the population (there were 113 sightings in 10 counties last year) is on the rise.

In West Virginia, however, the statewide bear population is estimated around 12,000, a major jump from about 500 in the 1950s.