Investigation under way into killing of black bears

Officials are investigating two recent poaching cases in which female black bears were killed while denning with their cubs.

Law enforcement Capt. Carroll Chastain with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources said bear poaching is common and the agency has investigated several cases already this season.

But Cpl. Casey Jones said illegal killings don't usually happen when cubs are present.

"Those cubs are completely dependent on their mother for the first six to eight months of their lives," he said. "When a female bear is killed that has cubs this young, those cubs are done as far as (being) wild animals."

Cpl. Jones said one bear was killed in the Chattahoochee National Forest in southern Murray County between Feb. 28 and March 1. Her body was left at the scene, but her cubs were taken, he said.

Another female was killed and her cubs taken in the Rich Mountain Wildlife Management Area in Fannin County, he said.

Officers learned about the second poaching when two cubs were dropped off at a veterinary clinic in the Blue Ridge area.

They at first thought the cubs were related to the Murray County bear but learned through investigations about the other female that was killed, Cpl. Jones said.

He said officers have identified about six suspects in the Fannin County case, but they're still looking for information in the Murray County case.

The Department of Natural Resources offers a reward for information leading to an arrest, Cpl. Jones said.

Penalties upon conviction include up to 12 months in jail and fines up to $5,000.

The cubs from Fannin County are in the care of wildlife rehabilitators, Cpl. Jones said.