IA DNR: Bear Shot by DNR Officer in Fremont County; Five Confirmed Sightings So Far in 2008

A second black bear has been shot in Iowa this summer, this time by a DNR conservation officer last week in Fremont County. A black bear was also shot by a local citizen early last week in Franklin County.

The second bear also marks the fifth confirmed sighting of a black bear in Iowa in 2008. Other confirmed bear sightings have occurred in Winnisheik, Johnson and Davis Counties, with the bear in Davis County having moved back-and-forth between Iowa and Missouri.

Prior to this year, the last confirmed sighting in Iowa was Allamakee County in 2005.

The bear in Fremont County weighed more than 200 pounds and was shot by DNR Conservation Officer Marlowe Wilson when it raided his garbage cans and then acted aggressively after repeated attempts to scare it away.

“This is not a decision I made hastily and I really didn’t want to shoot him,” said Wilson, adding that the decision was made after the bear had been scared into the woods three times and kept returning, ultimately acting aggressively next to his house near Waubonsie State Park.

The pelt from the bear shot in Fremont County will be put on display at the Southern Loess Hills Interpretive Welcome Center at Percival.

Black bears are not a protected species in Iowa and citizens do have the right to shoot them here.

Although once native to Iowa, black bears have not had wild populations in the state since the 1800s. Most Iowans are not used to being around these animals, said Ron Andrews, a biologist with the DNR.

“Wild bears will usually do what they can to avoid people, running away when coming in contact. There is obviously some potential danger if people get close to a female protecting cubs, a bear that is cornered or a hungry bear trying to protect a food source,” said Andrews.

As a biologist, Andrews said he does not like to see bears getting shot, but understands how people can react when confronted by such an unusual sight in Iowa.

“I’d like to think that I’d let the bear move on, but I guess you never really know until you are in that position yourself. We certainly would understand a bear needing to be shot to protect people and livestock, yet in the vast majority of the cases, black bears will move along and keep to themselves,” said Andrews.

Wild bear populations in other states such as Missouri are growing and bears are on the move, said Jeff Beringer, a biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Beringer said Missouri officers had been monitoring a bear in the northwest corner of that state that is believed to be the one shot in Fremont County.

“June and July seems to be the time when young male bears are most likely to take off from where their original area and they can move great distances. They tend to follow river corridors,” Beringer said.

For the most part, Beringer said young male bears would be ones most common to wander long distances from where they were born as they seek to establish new territories.

“It would be extremely rare to see a female wander very far from where it was originally born,” said Beringer.

Both Andrews and Beringer said it can also be difficult to determine if bears in Iowa or other areas where there are not established populations are truly wild or were once captive animals that have been released.

“Certainly we would be more concerned about one of these animals having been released into the wild because those animals are more accustomed to being around humans. Wild animals will try to avoid any human contact as much as possible,” said Andrews.

While releasing captive bears into the wild is a violation, Iowa law does not provide for any protection for wild black bears and cougars. However the DNR discourages people from intentionally trying to kill animals that are not causing anyone a problem. If a bear flees when approached, let it go and contact someone from the DNR to investigate.

“We expect wild animals to have an adverse reaction to people. When they don’t that is a definite sign that something is not right,” said Willie Suchy, wildlife research supervisor for the DNR.

Dealing with nuisance bears has not been an issue historically. However the DNR’s first responsibility is to protect the public’s safety.

“We also want the animals be treated humanely. Although we might prefer that these animals be tranquilized and relocated, it is not really an option at this point in time but one DNR will continue to explore,” said Suchy.

There are two difficulties in dealing with nuisance bears, according to Suchy. One is that relocating them back into the wild may just transfers the problem to someone else. So unless the bears are held in captivity they may end up being killed somewhere else. Bears that have lost their fear of humans are likely to just cause more problems.

The second is that tranquilizing a large dangerous animal requires training and skill. Even with trained personnel there is an increased potential for injury to people. Tranquilizing an animal can cause the animal significant stress as well.

“You just have to try to weigh the options and do the best you can in each unique situation. Lethal action may not be appealing but it is often the only safe solution with nuisance bears,” said Suchy.

Both of the bears shot in Iowa last week are being examined by experts to determine if they appear to be from known wild populations.