Home Again

By Sr. Agent Michael C. Kelley

Hey man, I saw a bear the other day, “for real”.

 Some say that the proof is in the pudding.  This time the proof was in the photograph.  Lane Merrit of Cotton Valley took the photo of the black bear as it crossed Hwy 160, east of Cotton Valley in Webster Parish.

 Arkansas Game and Fish has attempted to release and relocate the black bear into areas where they once roamed.  Like a teenager, this young bear felt the need to roam.  The bear left the Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas and traveled south to Louisiana.  When a bear shows up in unexpected places, you can bet that the telephones will start ringing.  It seems that this bear was fond of “Fluffy’s” gravy train, when the dogs are going hungry, the bears have to go. 

 Wildlife employee, Richard McMullen, set a trap and caught the bear near Springhill, LA.  The bear was transported back to Ouachita National Forest.

 In 1992, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Louisiana black bear as a threatened species, under the Endangered Species Act, meaning it could become in danger of extinction throughout all of a significant portion of its range in the foreseeable future. 

 Today, a major threat to the American black bear is widespread poaching to supply Asian markets with bear gall bladders and paws, considered to have medicinal value in China, Japan, and Korea.  Thanks to new knowledge and understanding of bear management, black bear populations have recovered significantly.  However, they are not out of danger.

 If you have knowledge of anyone taking or possessing a black bear illegally, call 1-800-442-2511, “Operation Game Thief”.