Prosecution is possible if a full investigation is needed
(AP) -- State Department of Natural Resources rangers are looking for the carcass of a black bear that was struck and killed as it tried to cross Interstate 85.
The Athens Banner-Herald reports Wednesday that the Marietta couple who ran into the animal weren't hurt. However, someone stole the 200-pound black bear carcass before DNR officers could retrieve it after it was killed Sunday night.
DNR Ranger 1st Class Eric Isom says it's a violation of state law to possess an untagged bear. He said prosecution is possible if a full investigation is needed.
Isom said he left the bear alongside I-85 because he couldn't move it by himself and it was gone when he returned.
Officials want to study the bear to find out its age and what drove it into Jackson County.
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Read more about the American Black Bear on National Geographic
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