It was after a series black bear sightings in western Kentucky ended on July 5 that residents across southern Illinois began reporting seeing bears .
And that’s why a Kentucky wildlife official believes the bear seen in southern Illinois entered the state after swimming across the Ohio River from western Kentucky.
Also, since the bear went unseen for 48 hours, then showed up in Missouri on Wednesday, it’s likely it swam across the Mississippi River too, according to John Hast, the bear and elk program coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
“I kind of always wonder what they’re thinking when they’re on the bank looking across, but it is something that they’re very capable of doing,” he said. “They’re very adept swimmers.”
The last confirmed black bear sighting in western Kentucky this summer was on July 5 in Livingston County, which is adjacent to Pope County in Illinois. The dividing line is the Ohio River.
Pope County is one of four counties in which there were confirmed black bear sightings, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Multiple bear sightings were reported as the bear continued moving west, including to Carrier Mills in Saline County on July 11, the Marion area in Williamson County on July 18-19, and in the Carbondale area in Jackson County on July 21-22.