Black bears and an alligator spotted in St. Francois County

BONNE TERRE, Mo. (KMOX) -- Four recent black bear sightings have been reported in St. Francois County by the Missouri Department of Conservation. One of them was in the city limits of Farmington .

Police in Sunset Hills have reported a young cub in their area which could be the same spotted over the weekend in Ballwin .

How do conservation agents confirm sightings?  Pictures can say a lot but sometimes more evidence is needed.

St. Francois County Conservation Agent Austin Davis said he may investigate the area of a possible sightings for bear prints, bear scat, or damage caused by a bear.

"I'm sure there's other sightings that we may not hear about because they are either posted on Facebook or didn't know they could report it on the MDC webpage," said Davis.

A 20-inch American alligator has also been spotted in St. Francois County. Bonne Terre Police Chief Douglas Calvert said numerous witnesses saw it in Bonne Terre Lake.

"We are not going to close the lake at this point," said Calvert, "if you see the gator just stay away from it and report it to central dispatch."

The chief says small American alligators are fairly docile and will eat small fish.