Ohio woman captures 'historic' footage of black bear mother and cubs

CLEVELAND, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- An Ohio woman captured rare photographic evidence of a black bear and her cubs in the state, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

The ODNR told Fox 8 that footage of the female black bear and her cubs captured by Colleen Porfillio and her daughter Jenna was historic, as it was the first clear photographic evidence taken in Ohio of a black bear with her cubs.

"This is the confirmation we needed to help ensure our suspicions were on-point," Scott Peters, wildlife management supervisor for northeast Ohio said. "Black bear sightings in northeast Ohio counties are not all that uncommon anymore, especially sightings of young males looking to establish territories during warmer months."

The video of the mother and her cubs walking across a local road was taken in Ashtabula County, which is a leading county for reported bear activity, according to The Plain Dealer.

Reports of female black bears, known as "sows," and their cubs have been reported in the area but wildlife biologists lacked any photographic proof and it remains unclear if the bears are native to the area.

"Whether or not the sow gave birth to the cubs here in Ohio we'll never know, since the sighting was only a few miles from the Pennsylvania border. Nevertheless, it's exciting to know they're spending time in the Buckeye State," Peters said.