Black Bear Spotted In Mahaska County
Black bear sighting in Mahaska County. (submitted photo)
A Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office Press Release
During the mid-morning hours of Wednesday, July 12, 2017, the Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a black bear walking in a soybean field near the intersection of Hwy 163 and 235th Street, in rural Mahaska County. The reporting party also provided the Sheriff’s Office with two cellular telephone photographs of the animal. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources was contacted regarding this report. Although law enforcement was unable to locate this animal they did find hair that they believe belongs to a black bear. The hair will be sent to the DNR lab for testing.
The Iowa DNR confirmed that there have been multiple reports of bear sighting in Iowa over the past several weeks, the closest being Tama and Iowa Counties. The DNR further advised that they do not feel that this bear is a danger to the public and it will eventually exit the state.
The Sheriff’s Office would like to remind all citizens that, if a bear is sighted, : 1.) Do not approach or attempt to feed the animal, 2.) Keep all children and pets inside if a bear is in the area, and 3.) report the sighting to local law enforcement.
