Wildlife officials in Mississippi have located the largest black bear since the state launched an effort to thoroughly research the endangered species more than 20 years ago.
The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks reports that a 510-pound black bear, given the name M18, was spotted in Sharkey County earlier this week. Researchers placed a collar around the bear’s neck to further track its migration patterns.
M18’s discovery shattered the previous record of 468 pounds, which was held by a roadkill bear in Wilkinson County. No stranger to the state’s black bear program, M18 was originally collared in August 2022 and weighed 360 pounds at the time.
The male bear managed to slip out of his collar shortly after he was caught two years ago. Now that researchers have had a reunion with the wild animal, they will gather new data and record his growth before releasing M18 back into his natural habitat.
Mississippi’s black bear program began in 2002. At the time, an estimated 50 bears roamed the state. That number has tripled since then, per officials.