It's been a bad year for bears in Virginia, as a poor acorn crop has sent them in search for food and often in the path of cars and trucks.
The road deaths have left 20 orphaned bear cubs in foster care at Virginia Tech and the Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro.
Wildlife biologist Jaime Sajecki of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries tells The Roanoke Times many of the road kills have involved sows with cubs.
That reflects what was likely a productive breeding season last year.
Sajecki said that might be because of a bumper acorn crop in 2012, which saw bears going into dens in excellent physical condition.
During poor acorn years cub production often is poor.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
