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A black bear was struck by a vehicle earlier this week on Highway 151 in Walker County.  Reports indicated that no one in the vehicle was injured, but the bear was killed. 

The accident happened in the Naomi Community area near Kemp Road.

The bear had been tagged by the Alabama Department of Natural Resources.  Georgia DNR officials returned the bear to Alabama for study.

About 10 years ago, the Alabama Department of Natural Resources discovered that native black bears were returning to Northeast Alabama – primarily in Cherokee and DeKalb Counties.  It is believed that the bears had migrated from Georgia.  Alabama officials undertook a major initiative to begin to tag and study the black bear population.

It is not unusual for a black bear to roam in search of new habitat.  Female black bears will force juvenile male bears out of their territory.  These young, male bears will often go as far as fifty miles in search of a new territory.

Today, it is not that unusual for bears to be seen in Cherokee County and DeKalb County and here in Chattooga County.  Wildlife officials in both Georgia and Alabama say that the black bear population is growing at a healthy rate in the general area.

Compiled Sources / Georgia Department of Natural Resources / Alabama Department of Natural Resources