Bears have long been making their way into Kentucky for a while now.  Most people have only seen small ones.  We've found the largest bear ever caught and he's huge!

WHEN DID BEARS ARRIVE IN KENTUCKY?

Bears were actually a part of Kentucky until they were killed off in the early 1900s.

Here's what Kentucky.gov says about the repopulation of bears;

Currently, black bears are the most abundant and widespread of all eight bear species in the world. In Kentucky, the return of black bears over the last 20 years is proving to be a true wildlife success story. Contrary to some beliefs, however, today’s growing population is not the result of a “restocking” effort. As oak forests matured after extensive logging efforts of the early 1900s, bears recolonized these habitats from our neighboring states of West Virginia, Virginia, and Tennessee.

Vast portions of the Kentucky region that were cleared for timber are once again mature hardwood forests. Consequently, bears that filtered into Kentucky from our Southern Appalachian neighbors had access to large, remote tracts of quality forest habitat. As a result, Kentucky is now home to a resident bear population that is experiencing considerable increases in both numbers and range.

LARGEST BEAR EVER CAUGHT IN KENTUCKY?

A large bear to me would be anything bigger than myself.   When I discovered the largest one caught in Kentucky was 480 pounds I almost passed out.  He was caught in 2008 as part of a research project.

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KENTUCKY'S MOST FAMOUS BEAR

Yes, there's a bear in Kentucky who is totally famous.  There is actually a movie about this bear and the very sad and gruesome end to his life.  Cocaine Bear is what they call him and if you're guessing his name has something to do with the drug Cocaine you would be very right.  Actually first named Pablo Eskabear he was found in Georgia next to 40 pounds of cocaine.  He had ingested it and of course, sadly died in the process.

Here's the trailer for the actual movie;

If you think those bears are big and crazy the largest black bear ever recorded came out of North Carolina in 1998 and it weighed 880 pounds.  NO THANK YOU!

Pets You Can't Own in Owensboro

Cats, dogs, certain birds, and aquarium fish are examples of pets you CAN own in Owensboro. Here are 14 you CANNOT own.

 

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