Bruno the Bear, Euthanized in State of Louisiana

By Benjamin Cox on July 5, 2021 at 8:58am

A bear that traversed through Pike County had to be euthanized in the State of Louisiana this past week.

Bruno the Bear, who captured the area’s attention last summer after being spotted several times near Barry, was put down in northeastern Louisiana after biologists found the bear incapacitated in a resident’s yard. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says that the bear was likely hit by a car. Both of its hind legs had been broken and its spine was severely injured leaving the bear paralyzed.

Bruno traveled in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa, swimming the Mississippi River four times, before getting cornered between two interstates and drawing a crowd of hundreds in Wentzville, Missouri last July. Since that was dangerous for both bear and audience, Missouri wildlife officials tranquilized the bear and had him relocated to the northeastern corner of the Ozark Mountains last summer.

The 2-3 year old bear is said to have traveled over 800 miles during the last year. Biologists says that the animal’s behavior was odd for its species.