Black bear spotted near Waterloo. Monroe County Sheriff’s Department urges caution
A bear has been sighted in the rural Waterloo area, officials said Thursday, June 10.
“It’s confirmed. There’s no question about it,” Illinois Conservation Police Officer Don Schachner said.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department first reported on its Facebook page Thursday morning, June 10, the sighting of a large bear in the subdivision of Chantilly Village near Old Baum Church Road in rural Waterloo.
The sheriff’s department is working with Schachner and the Illinois Conservation Police to safely locate the bear.
Schachner said the animal is likely a young black bear in its brown phase.
“The No. 1 message is to leave it be and do not feed it,” Schachner said. “If someone sees the bear, enjoy it from a distance.
“Based on the little bit of behavior we’ve seen, it’s approached the backs of houses. If we can discourage people from leaving food out, it’s better for the bear and better for the people,” he said.
Schachner said he’s spoken with homeowners in the area who knew the situation, provided his contact information and asked them to call him if they had an update.
“Don’t pursue it or harass it. Just leave it be and let it do its thing. Beyond being notified of where it’s at, I’m not concerned with too much else, really,” Schachner said.
Schachner said the bear is likely a young male.
“Young males of most wildlife species are the ones who do the most expansion roaming out. Females mostly stay closer to home,” he said.
As far as the bear’s origin, Schachner noted it likely came from Missouri. He added that Arkansas has a sizable black bear population that has spread into Missouri and gradually ventured into Illinois.
“The black bear population has been expanding at a decent rate. We knew it was just a matter of time until they worked their way into Illinois,” he said.
In northern Illinois, there have been a few sightings of bears that had traveled from Wisconsin.
“As society increases, certain critters adapt to it better than others. With the protections and the game laws, some populations expand a little bit better than others. And bears are starting to do that. So that’s why we’re seeing more bears,” he said.
In the meantime, the sheriff’s department encourages citizens to stay inside along with any pets. If spotted, dial 911.
Combining with Schachner’s suggestion, the sheriff’s department offered these recommendations:
- Do not feed it
- Do not approach
- Do not shoot it
- Do not leave dog or cat food outside
- Do not push trash cans out until the day of pickup
Recent bear sightings in Missouri
This is the latest bear sighting in the area.
Last month, conservation agents tracked down a bear in St. Louis County and tranquilized it. The bear was spotted in a tree near the intersection of Buck and East Linden Avenue in Richmond Heights. The bear was taken to a less populated area and released back into the wild.
Also in May, the Kirkwood Police Department posted photos of a black bear on Facebook, while another black bear was spotted in Brentwood.
Over the weekend, a bear was reportedly spotted in the St. Genevieve area in Missouri as well.
This is a developing story and will be updated as we get additional information.
This story was originally published June 10, 2021 at 10:43 AM.