Debunked – No, a Bear with Mange Was NOT Just Spotted in Missouri

I know you'll be surprised to hear this, but not everything you see on the internet is true. Shocking, I know. I've been duped a few times myself, but do my best to verify interesting things I find. Recently, there were pictures claiming to show a severely mangy bear in Jefferson County, Missouri. Pretty sure I can prove now that it's not true.

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I saw major websites including Yahoo News sharing this startling picture of what is definitely a bear with a severe case of mange. Instead of just trusting that article, I sought out the source which appeared to be a post on the Only in JeffCo! Facebook page. I became suspicious when I noticed that the guy who shared the pictures was from Cabo San Lucas, Baja California.

The plot thickens

I noticed in the comments another media person asked the guy who shared the pictures if he could use it on his outdoors website. That's when the original poster admitted that the pics were not his and he had grabbed them from The Sportsmen Party Facebook page. Someone else in the comments on the Facebook share claimed the pictures originated 6 years ago. That comment has now been deleted, but even without that all indications are that this was the case of someone trying to dupe everyone.

One other thing to keep in mind is the Only in JeffCo! Facebook page is not an official page for the county, but a satire page. In their "about" section, they say this:

This page is dedicated to the things that you see in JeffCo that make you laugh!
Add to it as you like!

For the record, this is video of a real mangy bear that was seen near Sacramento, California a few years ago.

That's why you're better off to view the internet with a skeptical eye and only share something when you can verify it's true.