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Louisiana black bear, an endangered animal, was found dead on the shoulder of I-20 near Tallulah about a week ago, officials said.
Mike Hook, who is the large carnivore biologist with the
LA Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, said his department picked up the body of the 13-14-year-old bear after a report to the Madison Parish Sheriff's Department.
"It was a marked bear that had been caught about 14 years ago," he said. "It was partially decomposed, bu the person who picked it us said he was guessing it weighted up to 500 pounds."
Hook said this bear probably had roamed from the
Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge near Tallulah or it might have been heading that way since there is a large habitat in the area.
This kind of road hill is common for this time of year based on two events, Hook said.
"Mothers that have yearling bears are weaning their bears and sending them on their own," he said. "Females tend to stay close to their mothers. The young males go everywhere. They are the equivalent of a 13-year-old boy. They wander off.
"The second," Hook said, "is that it's breeding season. The big males are doing the same thing, but they have a purpose in life - they're breeding. Most of these road kills are males, usually adult males."
Last year, Hook estimated nearly 30 black bears were killed by vehicles. So far, he is aware of three, including the carcass near Tallulah and two in south Louisiana.
"You never know where a bear will get hit," he said. "More often than not, there are no accidents reports."
The bears' skulls are preserved for study. Hook said.
Black bears, omnivorous animals, are listed as endangered in Louisiana and Mississippi, and it is illegal to harm them.
About 120 live in the state, up from about 50 in 2002. ~The Vicksburg Post
