Black bears were common in Big Bend in the early 1900's, but with shooting, trapping, and loss of habitat, there were practically none left when the Big Bend National Park was established in 1944.
But sometime in the late 1980's, a female black bear left Mexico, swam the Rio Grande, and moved into the Chisos Basin. Such natural recolonization is very rare.
Enamelled lapel or hat pin; approx. 1" x 1". A BBNHA exclusive.