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Black bear hide found in northern Indiana

NEWVILLE, Ind. (WANE) — The hide of a black bear was found along a DeKalb County roadway Thursday afternoon.

Rodney Clear, a conservation officer with Indiana Department of Natural Resources, confirmed to NewsChannel 15 that animal remains found along State Road 101 just south of State Road 8 near Newville were those of a black bear. Clear said the remains were just the bear’s hide.

Adam Clark shared photos of the bear’s hide with NewsChannel 15 on Facebook. He said he called authorities after coming up on what he first thought was “a big dog” dead on the side of the road.

https://www.facebook.com/wane15/posts/10154544364196430

In an updated post, Clark wrote, “what i saw was not a furry dog dead on the side of the road….”

It’s not clear how the bear’s remains got to the side of the road, or where the bear was killed. Clear said DNR officials are investigating the case and are looking for the person who dumped it along the road.

The person who dumped the bear’s remains could be charged with littering, Clear said. Anyone with any information on the incident is asked to called 1-800-TIP-IDNR.

Black bears are foreign to northeast Indiana. In April 2016, officials captured and euthanized a black bear that roamed into Indiana from southwestern Michigan after it become aggressive. When that bear crossed into Indiana, it became the Hoosier state’s first confirmed wild black bear sighting in 144 years.

Newville is about 15 miles northwest of Fort Wayne.

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