Biologist Lynn Rogers says the hunter posted messages on his Facebook page about how to make 'Hope' jerky and ways to cook bear meat in a crockpot.

Hope -- the Ely-area bear born in front of a huge Internet audience in 2010 -- is missing. A biologist for the North American Bear Center is fearing the worst. He tells the Duluth News-Tribune that Hope may have been shot and killed by a hunter. Hope has been missing since Wednesday

Despite the death of Hope the research bear, new numbers from the Department of Natural Resources show only about 1,800 bears have been registered.

Lynn Rogers says he was looking forward to documenting the evolution of Hope’s family as the 2-year-old bear matured. He says scientists had never gotten so close to a mixed-age bear family.

The DNR says so far this year, four people have died in hunting-related accidents -- compared to two deaths overall last year. Officials say most injuries stem from falling from deer stands.

The Wisconsin record for a black bear is 727 pounds. However, officials say Feia's trophy could weigh more, because they couldn't raise the bear any higher on their scale.

The Minnesota Zoo officially opened its new black bear exhibit on Saturday, and visitors delighted in Tiva, Syke and Kuruk, who were orphaned in Minnesota as cubs and now have a spacious new home. Among the visitors: troubled actor Mel Gibson, Burnsville Patch reports.