Black Bear in Illinois Q&A

Film date:

August 12, 2020

Speaker:

Stefanie Fitzsimons from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Produced by:

Laura Kammin

Kathy Andrews Wright

Edited by:

Sarah Marjanovic

Questions received in advance of the conversation are listed below, with the time noted should you desire to fast-forward to a topic of interest.

1:00 Historic background on the black bear in Illinois, including the documented occurrences over the past couple of decades.

3:36 Background on the historic June 2020 occurrence of a black bear passing through Illinois.

7:52 Black bears are an Illinois-protected species.

8:47 While black bear sightings in Illinois will continue to be rare, the potential exists for additional bears to pass through Illinois as populations grow in Wisconsin, Missouri and elsewhere. What should the public do if they see a bear or find potential bear sign?

10:53 Wrap-up comments.

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