‘Please do not wrestle the bear,’ Missouri cops warn after multiple sightings
Several people in a Missouri town have reported seeing a black bear, authorities said.
The Salem Police Department received multiple calls about the sightings the morning of Tuesday, May 30. The bear was seen near Rolla Road.
Now, police have issued the usual warnings — do not try to feed or interact with the animal, of course — and another warning that’s a little, well, out of the ordinary.
“Please do not wrestle the bear if you come in contact,” police said in Facebook post.
And that’s not just because it wouldn’t be wise to wrestle a bear. In Missouri, it’s actually illegal to do so.
“YES THIS IS REAL,” police said.
Missouri statute 578.176 states bear wrestling is a misdemeanor.
Adopted in 1998, the statute states that a person has violated the law if they:
wrestle a bear
allow bear wrestling under their control
promote, conduct or stage bear wrestling
advertise bear wrestling
collect admission fees related to bear wrestling
buy, sell or own a bear used for wrestling
train a bear for wrestling
allow a bear to be surgically altered for bear wrestling
“The first rule of bear fight club is to not talk about bear fight club,” one person replied.
“I’m pretty sure the last thing I would want to do is wrestle it, but thank you for the information,” another said.
Bear wrestling has been part of history since at least the 1800s, according to a 2015 article from the Bleacher Report. In many cases, the bears were muzzled and declawed. Their front teeth were often removed.
Police in Salem said officers have “closely monitored the situation and the bear was last seen heading North back out of town.”
Salem is about 140 miles northeast of Springfield.
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