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Black Bear Spotted In Michigan, NW Indiana Dead

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A black bear that had been spotted roaming about residential yards in southwest Michigan and northwest Indiana was trapped and killed over the weekend, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The black bear was euthanized after it repeatedly attempted to enter unoccupied homes, according to the department.

"The bear was no longer fearful of humans, and was not easily scared off," the DNR's Mark Sargent said in a statement. "The bear was trapped, tranquilized, and humanely euthanized on Saturday."

The bear is now at the Wildlife Disease Laboratory for testing.

It was not immediately clear where the animal was caught.

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The bear had been recently spotted in Stevensville, Michigan.

In March, Mike Kinney and his wife, who live on the north end of Grand Mere State Park near Stevensville, had several visits from the bear.

"At four in the morning, my wife woke up and saw the bear standing upright, going after the suet feeder," Kinney said. "It was just extremely large and extremely scary. She screamed. That woke me up. She says I screamed, too. I don't remember that."

Bear
A black bear has returned after hibernating for the winter. (Credit: Mike Kinney)

Kinney has taken several pictures of the bear on past visits, including one where he was right up on the window, licking the glass.

He says the bear is huge. Maybe 400 pounds.

Last summer, the animal was seen roaming about Michigan City, Ind.

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