BATON ROUGE, La. (WGEM) � Bruno the bear who gained notoriety in 2020 when it wandered through several Midwestern states, including Missouri and Illinois, has been euthanized, to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF).
LDWF reported that it received a call Tuesday from a homeowner in Morehouse Parish about the bear, which appeared on the owner’s property and wouldn’t leave.
LDWF biologists responded and, upon close inspection, discovered the bear was in distress with the catastrophic injuries. It was decided to humanely euthanize the animal.
“If there is any way possible a bear can survive an injury, we assist by relocating the animal to a secluded area to give it a chance at survival’� said LDWF Large Carnivore Program Manager Maria Davidson. “Unfortunately, this bear had injuries that would not have been survivable and the decision was made to humanely put it down.’�
LDWF reported the adult male bear weighed 240 pounds. It was determined the injuries had occurred approximately a month prior and the bear’s health was rapidly declining.
NEW COVERAGE:
Bruno was suspected to have traveled from Wisconsin, through Illinois, and into Missouri in 2020.
He was first spotted in the Show-Me-State near Elsberry on June 30, 2020, after which he made his way into St. Charles County.Â
Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) staff received reports of the bear as he continued to travel through Missouri.
In July of last year Bruno was captured in Missouri near Interstate 70 after getting stuck between several major roadways.
MDC conservation agents say the bear appeared within the city Limits of Wentzville the morning of July 5, 2020, and cornered himself just north of I-70 and near I-40/61.Â
MDC said they sedated Bruno and transported him suitable habitat outside the urban area.
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