What’s the latest on bear sightings in southwestern Illinois? Here’s what we know
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Bear sightings in the metro-east and southern IL in 2021
Today it is a report of another big cat. This spring and summer, it was all about black bears visiting our region
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Another black bear sighting reported in southwestern Illinois. Here’s the latest
Another bear sighting in southern IL, this one about two hours southeast of Belleville
What’s the visiting bear up to in this sweltering southwest IL heat? The latest update
What’s the latest on bear sightings in southwestern Illinois? Here’s what we know
Illinois Conservation Police Officer Don Schachner is nearly certain the young male black bear spotted recently in Monroe County and then in Clinton County is one in the same.
“In all honesty, it’s probably the same bear,” he said Wednesday. “But I don’t know that for a fact. Just the pattern of the calls we’ve gotten coming in, as far as the reliability of the calls, it seems like it’s the same bear.”
The first report of the visiting bear in southwestern Illinois was in Monroe County on June 10. Then there was a bear sighting in Clinton County two days later.
“That, give or take, is 35 miles, which certainly is not out of the realm of travel for a bear,” Schachner said.
Schachner said that on Tuesday, he received a credible report the bear was in Dubois, a village in Washington County.
“And that’s about the same distance (35 miles),” he said. “... I just got a third-hand account the bear is in Perry County, but that has not been confirmed yet. It’s traveling a bit more than I thought it might if it is the same bear. But bears do travel, especially younger males.”
As far as the bear’s origin, Schachner noted June 10 it likely came from Missouri. He said 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,” Schachner said.
Schachner said Wednesday that thus far, he has not received reports of people trying to find the visiting bear.
He recalled an instance last year of a bear spotted in northern Illinois where it was just the opposite. In fact, a game warden and officers were assigned to follow the bear around for a couple weeks because of large crowds wanting to see it.
“They had a tremendous amount of problems with that. In that particular situation, the public was a headache, for lack of a better phrase,” Schachner said. “Down here, it’s the middle of summer and it’s thick and as green as can be. I have not heard any situations of people trying to track him down and find him. That’s positive, because I was kind of worried about that.”
Certainly, the possibility of bears becoming more prevalent in the area raises safety concerns. To that end, Schachner said the biggest preventative measure is not feeding bears and, more specifically, not making food available.
“Once bears start associating people with food, they lose their fear of people and start to approach people,” he said. “Right now, if we ever get a sustained population here — we’re a ways from that — the biggest thing is to be bear aware. Don’t leave your cat or dog out. Don’t intentionally feed them. Don’t crowd them. Enjoy them from a distance. Don’t take your trash out until the day of. If you follow those guidelines, you don’t have much to worry about.”
Thus far, Schachner said this bear — or bears — still “has a healthy fear of people,” based on reports he’s received. However, he still stressed to exercise caution.
“Overall, there’s nothing to be worried about. Just don’t be foolish,” Schachner said. “It’s rare to hear of bear attacks — usually something precipitates an attack. Usually, it’s a bear that’s become comfortable around people. If someone did hear of it being in the area, keep an eye on your younger kids. And certainly don’t let your pets roam out and about.”
What’s next for bears in Illinois?
Moving forward, as Schachner noted, Illinois is still far off from having a significant bear migration. He noted isolated incidents in northern Illinois and one near Anna, a small town in Union County, three years ago, as examples.
“I don’t know the specific numbers that have been confirmed of bears that have ventured into Illinois,” Schachner said. “At the Wisconsin border, over the last several years, they’ve swung down into Illinois and then back into Wisconsin.
“As Missouri starts filling up with them, they’re going to continue expanding this way. Who’s to say, five years from now, a female or two may make it over here. Or it might be another 10-15 years. It’s hard to say; it’s a little bit of a roll of the dice.”
“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,” Schachner also said recently.
Along with Schachner’s suggestions, here are additional tips if anyone encounters the bear:
- 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
Recapping sightings in Monroe, Clinton counties
In Monroe County, the bear was first spotted June 10 in the subdivision of Chantilly Village near Old Baum Church Road in rural Waterloo.
In Clinton County, Schachner said Sunday it was off Illinois 177 near New Memphis.
The Clinton County Sheriff’s Department posted the following message on its Facebook page Saturday:
“Our deputies are aware of our new resident and the Illinois Department of Conservation has been notified. Conservation officials have made it very clear, LEAVE THE BEAR ALONE!! Harassment, in any form, is a violation of conservation law and will be prosecuted.”,” Acting Chief Deputy Sgt. Dan Travous wrote on the department’s Facebook page Saturday.
Recent bear sightings in Missouri
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.
Then, last weekend, a bear was reportedly spotted in the St. Genevieve area in Missouri.
This story was originally published June 17, 2021 at 5:00 AM.