Yet another black bear illegally killed in Avoyelles

Yet another black bear has been discovered shot to death in Avoyelles Parish.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries was notified Oct. 8, three days after the state-wide small game hunting season opened, about a dead black bear lying in the woods a couple miles south of the Grassy Lake Wildlife Management Area.
The animal was collected and sent in for a necropsy, which revealed the bear was shot in the head with a shotgun and had probably been dead for about five to six days.
Shotguns are the most common firearm used by squirrel hunters in the state.
The Humane Society and the wildlife department are offering a cash reward of up to $8,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction in the bear’s death. The bear has been listed on the federal Threatened and Endangered Species list since 1992.
Violators are subject to penalties of up to $50,000 and six months in jail. In addition, a restitution fine of $10,000 for the bear may be imposed on anyone convicted of killing one in Louisiana.
Anyone with information about the animal’s death should call the Louisiana Operation Game Thief hotline at 1-800-442-2511. Tipsters can remain anonymous.