Although the state of Illinois is home to few real, live bears, the iconic “Bear Down, Chicago Bears” battle anthem proclaims that the Bears are the pride and pleasure of the state.
Still, at least one bear has been sighted recently in downstate Illinois.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced this week that although there are no resident black bear populations in the state, bears occasionally enter Illinois during the summer months due to the establishment of black bear populations in Missouri and Wisconsin.
There have been verified reports of bear sightings in Southern Illinois’s Saline, Pope, Williamson, and Jackson counties recently. It was unclear from the IDNR if there were multiple bears there or just one.
“IDNR biologists are monitoring the bear’s movement and appreciate receiving ongoing reports from the public of its whereabouts,” IDNR wildlife chief Mike Wefer stated. “We’re also grateful to everyone who has followed our advice to leave the bear alone and enjoy the rare privilege of observing it from a safe distance.”
There is now a bear sighting map for Carbondale, the site of Southern Illinois University and the focus of national interest for being in the path of totality during the solar eclipses in 2017 and this year. On Sunday, between holes 4 and 6, a black bear was saw at Carbondale’s Hickory Ridge Public Golf Course.
On social media, images from the same day at the Jackson County Country Club in Murphysboro also featured a bear.
There were also reports of a bear sighting in the Marion region, which prompted the Kokopelli Golf Club to issue a warning. A black bear was spotted last Thursday morning in the eastern portion of the county, close to Galatia Post and Angelville roads, according to the Williamson County Sheriff’s office.
Further east, near the town of Carrier Mills, a bear was reportedly spotted, according to accounts on social media.
According to the IDNR, yearling bears leave their birth ranges in search of food and a permanent home range in the early summer. While nursing females leave their home ranges with their energetic cubs, adult males roam far and wide in quest of mates.
According to the IDNR, bears are omnivores, meaning they consume all kinds of vegetation and animals. Bears generally consume plants in the spring and summer, but they may occasionally consume carrion, small mammals, fish, insects, birds, and reptiles for their protein needs.
Since bears have keen senses and can detect scents from more than a mile away, the IDNR recommends people to avoid having direct encounters with bears and to search their property for food that might attract them if a bear is seen nearby. According to the IDNR, bears are also likely to investigate anything that seems like it might contain food, such as dog bowls, trash cans, and barbecue grills.
In recent years, black bears have been seen getting closer to Chicago. In June of last year, a bear was sighted in Lake County in the towns of Gurnee and Antioch. June 2023 saw the first bear sighting in Gurnee, close to the Gurnee Mills Mall. A bear was seen in an Antioch home’s backyard three days later.
Read Also: Missouri Prison Defies Court Order Again, Keeps Wrongfully Convicted Inmate Behind Bars
Black bears were once widespread in Illinois, but by 1870 they had been eradicated from the state. Since 2016, the Illinois Wildlife Code has protected black bears, prohibiting hunting and killing them unless necessary to neutralize an immediate threat.
There are 27 states that permit bear hunting, including Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and Missouri.
Some jurisdictions have banned bear hunting, but in 2018, Gov. Phil Murphy issued an executive order that reinstated the practice after it had been outlawed for more than 30 years. However, bear hunting returned to New Jersey in 2022, and reports of hostile encounters and an increase in bear sightings of 237% have been made.
Animal rights organizations in New Jersey have denounced and criticized the bear hunts as cruel.
