Missouri Department of Conservation confirms bear struck and killed near Festus, Mo.,
FESTUS, Mo. (KY3) - The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) confirms a bear was struck and killed Tuesday night on I-55 near Festus.
The last confirmed sighting of the bear alive was made by Missouri state law enforcement officers at approximately 7 p.m. Tuesday. The MDC Jefferson County conservation agent received the initial report of the bear seen on the highway after the collision at 8:50 p.m. A vehicle struck the bear on northbound I-55 north of the Highway 67 intersection.
The bear displayed the reddish-tinted fur characteristic of the cinnamon phase of an American black bear, and MDC suspects the bear to be a two-three-year-old male, but due to the condition of the remains, the gender cannot be confirmed.
The bear is being brought to MDC’s Wildlife Health Veterinary Lab in Columbia for a complete necropsy and genetic sampling.
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