Cosby said the animal that Knapp, Finch and Tarver are charged in connection with was not the collared bear that was killed in early October. That bear was part of a study under way by the Alabama Black Bear Alliance, and the collar was a transmitter used to track the bear. Cosby said the bear that the three men had parts of was a male that weighed between 160 and 200 pounds. Investigators believe that bear was killed in north Mobile County and transported to Washington County, where portions of the animal were recovered from the freezers of the suspects, according to Cosby. Cosby said officials have several leads in that case.
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Investigators said they believe the bear that the Washington County men are accused of possessing remains of was actually killed on Oct. 24, the day the Wildlife Federation held a news conference in Mobile to announce the reward in connection with the collared bear, Cosby said. Used with permission.