Huge Black Bear Strolling Around Eastern Iowa [PHOTOS/VIDEO]
A very large black bear has been roaming around eastern Iowa for at least the last three days, much to the delight of Iowans. The bear has been spotted in a variety of rural areas and as you'll see from some of the photos below, it doesn't seem to have a fear of people.
Saturday through Monday, the large black bear has been photographed repeatedly and also captured on video.
What appears to be the same bear has been seen in areas of both Clinton and Jackson County over the last three days. Nearly every report says the bear appears to be headed south. The bear, as you can see below where it is being photographed at a close distance, doesn't appear to be afraid of humans. The Humane Society report on black bears says they're "normally wary of people."
Black bears are common in places like Wisconsin and Minnesota, according to the Des Moines Register, but they're seldom seen in Iowa. Having said that, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources did a report in 2014 that showed numerous reported sightings of black bears over a 5-year period. Black bear sightings were reported in July of 2009, May of 2010, October of 2010, September of 2011, May and June of 2012, and in 2014.
I understand the curiosity and wanting to photograph something we rarely see in Iowa. Something that's also beautiful. But, please, be careful.