Bear cartoon misleading

To the editor:

I am writing in response to a political cartoon printed June 15 in the Opinion section. It depicts a newspaper reader inside a house with a headline stating, "MDC Says No Bears in Missouri," while outside a woman is being chased by a bear. I want to point out that the Missouri Department of Conservation is well aware of the presence of black bears in Missouri and makes efforts to educate people about bears. MDC has not denied the presence of bears in Missouri.

MDC has used the Missouri Conservationist magazine, the MDC Web site and printed resources for those who encounter a nuisance bear. In addition, we offer a variety of programs for adults and schoolchildren dealing with bears specifically or among other mammals. The bottom line is MDC knows we have bears and does many things to make sure people have good information.

Missouri has a population of 350 to 500 black bears, and few get killed by vehicles each year. Southeast Missouri has not had a vehicle collision with a bear before June 4. While a bear collision is rare, bear sightings are not so rare.

For this reason, MDC encourages people to learn more about living with bears. Fear should not be the response to bears in Missouri. If you would like to learn more about bears in Missouri, please contact the MDC.

A.J HENDERSHOTT, Outreach and Education Regional Supervisor, Missouri Department of Conservation,

Cape Girardeau, Mo.