Posts
Out side of Buda Illinois, last June, two farmhands spotted a black bear while working on a grain house. On Dec 30th Cheryl Balensiefen got pictures of the first black bear documented roaming the wilds of Illinois in at least 42 years. The experts that have been consulted on bears using the size references in the pictures, say that the bear is at least 500lbs. These reports are credible and the pictures have been documented. The witnesses managed to roll up on it in their truck and get the pictures. Due to the fact this bear did not hang around. The outdoor writer I talked with who wrote the article, says he thinks that there is a good chance this is a wild bear and not just an escaped captive bear. This is a quote from the News article quoting from the witness and it is used with permission.
“We came up on him pretty fast in our truck in the corner of a field and he turned and looked at us like, ‘Don’t mess with me,’” said Kent Balensiefen, who drove while his wife took pictures. Then the bear climbed a fence and ran through a small patch of woods and across farm fields.
The most recent bear sighting since came last Saturday 7 miles north of Wyanet. No doubt there will be more in the days to come. Less certain is whether this bear is wild or a captive release. Wild or not, the bear raises another more important question: Are Illinoisans ready to cohabitate with a predator that can top 500 pounds? So far most residents of Bureau County seem content with that concept. The county Sheriff’s Office, for instance, is taking reports but asks that nobody approach or harm the bear.) “
I personally think that it is a bear that has been displaced by flooding in bordering states, the bear is most likely a displaced black bear from Northern Iowa or southern Minnesota. However it’s not too big of a stretch to think that these large carnivores could travel long distances looking for new territory or possible females.
The Illinois DNR (Department of Natural Resources) may try to tranquilize the animal. However its unlikely that they will be successful. I have hunted deer in woods filled with deer and never even seen them if I didn’t do everything right, or it just was “the wrong day”. So finding one bear in a forest is a long shot. It is, however, unlikely that the bear will be a problem for locals. Bears do not have any lawful protection in Illinois because they have not been resident in Illinois since the mid 1850s. However, although a hunter could go out to shoot the bear, it might be difficult to find, because as I have written above, it appears to be wild and have a fear of humans. The reporter that I interviewed said he is just really unsure if it’s a wild bear or not, because it’s very large and although it could have grown up captive, but it acts like a wild black bear.
I do not believe that this is a case of a relict population, however. To quote Jeff Lampe (the reporter) again, “The times are changing for predators, though. A mountain lion was shot in suburban Chicago last summer. Wolves pass through the prairie state with regularity. Now we finally have a documented bear.”
So that’s the most recent large carnivore in Illinois and though not an unknown animal the question that is not known is: Where the hell did it come from?
“We came up on him pretty fast in our truck in the corner of a field and he turned and looked at us like, ‘Don’t mess with me,’” said Kent Balensiefen, who drove while his wife took pictures. Then the bear climbed a fence and ran through a small patch of woods and across farm fields.
The most recent bear sighting since came last Saturday 7 miles north of Wyanet. No doubt there will be more in the days to come. Less certain is whether this bear is wild or a captive release. Wild or not, the bear raises another more important question: Are Illinoisans ready to cohabitate with a predator that can top 500 pounds? So far most residents of Bureau County seem content with that concept. The county Sheriff’s Office, for instance, is taking reports but asks that nobody approach or harm the bear.) “
I personally think that it is a bear that has been displaced by flooding in bordering states, the bear is most likely a displaced black bear from Northern Iowa or southern Minnesota. However it’s not too big of a stretch to think that these large carnivores could travel long distances looking for new territory or possible females.
The Illinois DNR (Department of Natural Resources) may try to tranquilize the animal. However its unlikely that they will be successful. I have hunted deer in woods filled with deer and never even seen them if I didn’t do everything right, or it just was “the wrong day”. So finding one bear in a forest is a long shot. It is, however, unlikely that the bear will be a problem for locals. Bears do not have any lawful protection in Illinois because they have not been resident in Illinois since the mid 1850s. However, although a hunter could go out to shoot the bear, it might be difficult to find, because as I have written above, it appears to be wild and have a fear of humans. The reporter that I interviewed said he is just really unsure if it’s a wild bear or not, because it’s very large and although it could have grown up captive, but it acts like a wild black bear.
I do not believe that this is a case of a relict population, however. To quote Jeff Lampe (the reporter) again, “The times are changing for predators, though. A mountain lion was shot in suburban Chicago last summer. Wolves pass through the prairie state with regularity. Now we finally have a documented bear.”
So that’s the most recent large carnivore in Illinois and though not an unknown animal the question that is not known is: Where the hell did it come from?
0 comments:
Post a Comment