INA, IL — Officials confirmed Thursday a bear has been sighted and is roaming in the southwest area of Rend Lake. Officials from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Rend Lake Army Corps of Engineers, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and Franklin County Emergency Management Agency were monitoring the bear Thursday as it moved through the area.

Authorities advise you should keep your distance if you encounter this bear. Pay attention to your surroundings and make a special effort to be noticeable if you are in an area where this bear has been reported. While Illinois does not have an active breeding bear population, neighboring states like Missouri and Wisconsin do, according to Illinois Department of Natural Resources. However, it’s not uncommon to see bears from these neighboring states cross briefly into Illinois before returning to their permanent habitat, especially as they look for food and potential mates.

A bear was spotted earlier this week in Clinton and Monroe Counties in Illinois. If you spot a bear in your area, conservation officers ask you to not feed, approach, shoot or otherwise harm the bear, do not leave dog or cat food outside and do not put trash cans out until the day of pickup.

(above photo thanks to WSIL-TV)