Illinois is instating a measure that will help protect gray wolves, American black bears and mountain lions in the state as federally endangered species.
Starting Jan. 1, the Illinois Wildlife Code will shield these three animals, which are native to Illinois but died out in the mid-1800s, the Illinois News-Gazette reported.
The new legislation means that along with the gray wolf, the black bear and the mountain lion will now be protected as endangered species, making it illegal to kill them unless they pose an "imminent threat" to humans. Landowners will also be able to apply for nuisance permits to allow them to kill animals that aren't an immediate threat.
More bears, mountain lions and wolves than usual have been spotted in the state, inspiring lawmakers to pass Senate Bill 3049, which has been signed by Gov. Pat Quinn.
Illinois coyote hunters should be extra watchful to make sure they don't shoot a federally protected animal.
"Wolves are much bigger than coyotes," said Illinois Department of Natural Resources spokesman Tim Schweizer, as quoted by the News-Gazette. "And no matter what you're hunting, you should always make sure what you're shooting."
Most of the wolf population in the Midwest inhabits northern Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan; however, conservation officials say that gray wolves have been traveling farther south along with other endangered animals. In December, a female gray wolf was struck and killed by a vehicle in LaSalle County in Illinois, while a police offer shot a mountain lion in Whiteside County a month earlier.
A black bear recently traveled in a 300-mile loop through Illinois, beginning from the northwestern part of the state in May and completing the circle in a 30-day period. According to state spokesman Chris Young, the bear is likely now in Wisconsin, and no black bear sightings have been reported since then.
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