BEAR WEEK: Mississippi wildlife officials highlight comeback of black bears in the state

JACKSON – Mississippi wildlife officials say the state’s black bear population has made a significant comeback after once falling to critically low numbers.

According to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, black bears were once a major part of Mississippi’s history, especially in the Delta’s bottomland hardwood forests, where they supported Native American life, trade and hunting culture.

Wildlife officials said the population sharply declined because of overhunting and habitat loss, dropping to fewer than 12 bears by 1932.

The department said protections were later put in place through state and federal conservation efforts, including the federal threatened and endangered protections in 1974 and state protections in 1992.

Officials said Mississippi’s black bear program was established in 2002 at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. Early work focused on research and monitoring, including tracking bears, studying habitat use and assessing a population that had fallen to an estimated 20 to 40 bears statewide.

The department said the work later continued through the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, with an emphasis on research, habitat management and coordination with neighboring states.

According to the agency, those long-term conservation efforts, along with natural population expansion from surrounding areas, helped increase the population to an estimated 100 to 120 bears within the program’s first decade.

Now, nearly 20 years later, wildlife officials say black bears continue moving toward full restoration in Mississippi.