Euthanized black bear had roamed Joplin area for 2 weeks

JOPLIN, Mo. -- Authorities are defending the decision to euthanize a black bear captured last month in Joplin.

The Joplin Globe reported the Missouri Department of Conservation conducted a review amid a deluge of complaints and determined the case was handled according to policy.

There had been increasing reports of problems, including the bear had carried off a chicken and gotten into bee hives, before it was captured two blocks away from Joplin's busiest corridor. Documents obtained through an open records requests found no zoo or animal sanctuary in Missouri had appropriate permits to take the bear and no sanctuaries were available for placement.

Conservation officials now estimate there are 540 to 840 bears within the state. That's a climb from the agency's baseline estimate seven years ago of 350.