Young Bear Fatally Struck on Road Near Fredericktown

An eastern Missouri conservation agent says a juvenile male black bear has been killed after being struck on a roadway.

The Daily Journal newspaper in Park Hills, Missouri, reports that the bear was hit by a vehicle Sunday afternoon near Fredericktown, about 90 miles south of St. Louis. A conservation agent told the newspaper that the bear died shortly after impact.

The driver of the vehicle was not hurt.

Bears have been active in recent months as male bears move about during mating season and juvenile bears move out away from their mothers for the first time. Other bears also have been fatally struck on southern Missouri roadways since the late spring.