S. ILLINOIS WILDLIFE AGENTS SEARCH FOR BLACK BEAR

BENTON, Ill. -- No bears have been seen in the Southern Illinois woods since the early part of the century. That's why the black bear that has been raiding garbage cans in the region is getting so much attention.

The bear has ranged widely in Jefferson County near Mount Vernon since it was first spotted a month ago. It was last seen at dusk Thursday north of the town of Bonnie along Interstate 57, about 10 miles north of Benton.

The bear hasn't confined itself to the woods, coming into contact with people numerous times. On Thursday, WSIL-TV in Harrisburg, Ill., showed videotape of a man feeding the bear cans of Mountain Dew soda.

Wildlife biologists are sure the bear is domesticated and either escaped or was released.

"It's not aggressive or dangerous," said Dennis Thornburg, a regional wildlife biologist with the Illinois Department of Conservation in Benton.

"We're still encouraging people to stay away from it," he said. "It could be dangerous just because it's a good-size bear."

The IDOC has been keeping track of the bear for the past few weeks while trying unsuccessfully to find it a home. That strategy has changed over the last few days as news of the bear's whereabouts has circulated and the potential for problems has expanded.

Thursday, curiosity-seekers caused a traffic jam along I-57 as IDOC agents stalked the bear with a tranquilizer gun.

"We had some problems yesterday when we were trying to capture it," Thornburg said.

"It's gotten to be a pretty good attraction."

Officers were back looking for the bear Friday. It still was loose Friday afternoon.

Thornburg has contacted 20 zoos in the Midwest trying to find a home for the bear, but none was interested.

"The alternative is to give it to someone who is licensed to keep bears," he said.

A number of people in Illinois possess such a license.

The Phoenix Audubon Society of Southern Illinois has set up a fund to help pay for relocation of the bear once it's captured.

Gregory Kupiec, the organization's president, said the fund was established to promote finding a home for the bear quickly.

"As cute as they are, we are trying to prevent anyone from getting injured," he said.

Ben Gelman, the society's publicity chairman, said the fund isn't a reward for catching the bear. The Audubon Society is interested in the safety of both people and animals.

"We are concerned that somebody would think it's too tame and get bitten," he said. "That would be bad enough in itself. Then we're afraid people would go out and shoot it."

Contributions to the fund can be made to the Phoenix Audubon Society of Southern Illinois, P.O. Box 222, Carbondale, Ill. 62903-0222.