CARMI – White County Sheriff Randy Graves says there was an unconfirmed report of the bear traveling through southern Illinois in the Centerville area north of Carmi Tuesday.

Sheriff Graves says the bear is a protected species in the Illinois Wildlife Code and can’t be hunted, killed or harassed unless there is a threat to a person. The sheriff asks that you don’t feed the bear, don’t leave your pets outside and don’t go near the bear. If you encounter the bear and it imposes a threat call 911.

The bear was recently spotted on video in a tree at Rend Lake and traveled east into Hamilton County.