Louisiana Black Bear Rescued, Released, Shot in Mississippi

Kris, was picked up going through a garbage can. He was a scrawny Louisiana black bear, a smaller subspecies of the black bear. Due to his size he was taken to a Tennessee rescue center, around Christmas time, which resulted in being named Kris. The only other bear there was a cub, that had been brought in from Virginia as an orphan and called R.A.

At first the two did not get along. Then R.A. started mimicking Kris' behavior and they were released into the wild in April. There were no reports of Kris being a nuisance bear after his release. The next time anyone thought about Kris was 8 months later, when an Amite County resident in Mississippi would kill Kris. He had been doing well in the wild, his weight when shot was around 200 pounds, a big difference from the scrawny cub rescued.

Brad Young, black bear program leader for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, said he received an anonymous tip Dec. 19, saying the bear had been killed in the Busy Corner community of Amite County, about 50 miles east of its release point. An ear tag identified it. The bear was found Dec. 28. The investigation continues. The shooter could face federal charges, as the Louisiana black bear is protected by the Endangered Animal Act. From ClarionLedger.com.