BLANDINSVILLE, Ill. (WGEM) — A black bear that traveled from Wisconsin to Iowa was spotted outside of Blandinsville, Illinois, Thursday. Nearby, a bear was spotted “scavenging the area,” according to a park press release. Believe it or not, Illinois ranks NUMBER FOUR (!) They are now protected by the Illinois … While these animals once roamed the Illinois landscape 150 years ago, seeing one today can be, at … The bear was spotted around 11 a.m. crossing Route 9, one mile West of Blandinsville in McDonough County, Illinois, The bear was headed South.. A bear wandering in the State of Illinois is extremely rare, but that all changed for some people in the state last week in the Land of Lincoln. Black bears, which the University of Illinois Wildlife Directory says were common in Illinois until 1870, currently do not have any permanent populations in Illinois, though three individual bears have been spotted since 2008. According to Illinois Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist Stefanie Fitzsimons, there have been a handful of confirmed black bear sightings in northern Illinois … Illinois: The Ultimate Midwestern Sasquatch Hotspot? for Sasquatch sightings, topping popularly perceived hotspots like Texas, Oregon, Ohio, and Michigan. While there have been no confirmed sightings of a black bear in southern Illinois, there have been occasional spottings in northern Illinois since 2009. Bear sightings continue in northwest Illinois The recent sighting of an American black bear in northwest Illinois has, understandably, generated many questions. As of the summer of 2018, there have been 298 sightings, trailing Florida by just 25 reports. The bear then crossed into Iowa and came back into Illinois in southern Rock Island County June 18. An American black bear is making rare tracks through west-central Illinois, in the process developing a large social media following that is attracting hundreds of people to the bear's path. Black bears are native to Illinois’ neighboring states and were common in Illinois when settlers arrived but disappeared by the mid-1880s. (If Illinoisans see a black bear, they are encouraged to report the sighting to the state Department of Natural Resources.) The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is asking people not to bother a black bear that has traveled from Wisconsin to Illinois to Iowa, and has made its way back to West-Central Illinois. The following is a statement from Illinois Department of Natural Resources Director Marc Miller on a black bear sighting in northwest Illinois: The recent sighting of an American black bear in northwest Illinois has, understandably, generated many questions. The University of Illinois extension service created a website educating people on why they might be experiencing more encounters with black bears, cougars and wolves. It's unknown if it is the same bear spotted in early June in Platteville and Monroe. Black bears were common in Illinois when European settlers arrived, according to IDNR, but they were wiped out by the mid-1880s. The most recent report was in April, 2018. Park rangers received a call just after 7 p.m. Friday, as …