The other day I caught the tail end of a bear being shown on TV. My first instinct was something was wrong with that bear. I was right, the black bear had mange. I then went to the website of fish and game (dwr.virginia.gov) and after reading a lot on the site I found it very interesting and wanted to share it with you. There is so much info on the site I can’t print it all.

Mange in Virginia Bears. Virginia’s first mange-affected bear was diagnosed in a bear from Rockingham County in 1994. From 2014 to 2017 reports were sporadic and primarily focused in the northwestern mountain counties of Frederick and Shenandoah. Since 2018, reports have increased in frequency and geographic spread, and mange has been confirmed in 14 counties. DWR asks anyone who sees a bear showing signs of mange as described below to take photos, note your exact location (take GPS coordinates, if possible), and submit this information to the VA Wildlife Conflict Helpline at vawildlifeconflict@usda.gov or 1-855-571-9003.

There’s more to this in the current issue of the Times Virginian newspaper. Support local journalism by purchasing the issue at a local newsstand or subscribing at www.timesvirginian.com/subscriber_services to receive the print edition or view the full article in the e-edition version.