Missouri conservation officials are trying to learn more about the state’s population of black bears as their numbers increase.
The bears were once common in Missouri but are thought to have nearly died out in the 20th century.
Decades later, bear populations are increasing but officials aren’t sure exactly how many live in Missouri. Black bears are considered a “species of concern” and cannot be hunted.
The conservation department tracked bear sightings since 1987. Just one was sighted that year, in southeast Missouri’s Butler County. By 2007, bears had been reported in dozens of counties, including Texas, including most of those south of the Missouri River. Sightings have been most common in rural Ozarks counties and those that include the Mark Twain National Forest.