Officials confirm Iowa's first bear sighting in 8 years
The Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that deputies were notified of a black bear sighting Wednesday in a soybean field near the intersection of Hwy 163 and 235th Street, in rural Mahaska County.
The sheriff’s office said the reporting party provided photographs of the animal. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources was contacted regarding the bear report.
Deputies were unable to locate the animal, but they did find hair that they believe belongs to a black bear. The hair will be sent to the DNR lab for testing.
Oskaloosa News reports 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 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 said if a bear is sighted, do not approach or attempt to feed the animal, keep all children and pets inside if a bear is in the area, and report the sighting to local law enforcement.