The Associated Press
Wildlife officials say black bears could become permanent residents of Kansas within the next decade, according to a report from The Wichita Eagle.
Bears have been reported entering extreme southwest Kansas from parts of Missouri and Oklahoma and along the Colorado border in years past.
Bears were once native to Kansas but have since been pushed out by humans.
“We have reproducing populations getting closer and closer,” Matt Peek, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism furbearer biologist, said in an interview with the Eagle's Michael Pearce. “If the habitat is right when they come into Kansas, I think we have the opportunity for black bears to become established.”
If a sizable enough population were to find its way into Kansas, the state could even consider opening a hunting season for the species.
Check out the full story here.
Bears were once native to Kansas but have since been pushed out by humans.
“We have reproducing populations getting closer and closer,” Matt Peek, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism furbearer biologist, said in an interview with the Eagle's Michael Pearce. “If the habitat is right when they come into Kansas, I think we have the opportunity for black bears to become established.”
If a sizable enough population were to find its way into Kansas, the state could even consider opening a hunting season for the species.
Check out the full story here.
RSS Feed