When lava bears were first encountered in the early 20th century it was speculated that they might be a unique species, possibly a dwarf grizzly.

[1][2][3][4][5] One of the first lava bear specimens taken in the wild was mounted and sent to United States Bureau of Biological Survey in Washington, District of Columbia.

[2] Publicity generated by the Oregon Sportsman photograph and various newspaper articles about the miniature bear made it a fascinating creature.

In 1920, Irvin S. Cobb, a well-known writer for The Saturday Evening Post, organized a hunting trip to Oregon with the stated purpose of finding a lava bear.

After he left Oregon, several of the local trappers who accompanied Cobb began to actively search for lava bears.

In addition, the story Cobb wrote about his hunting trip for The Saturday Evening Post increased interest in the animal across the county.

[10][11][12] In 1923, Alfred Andrews, a trapper for the United States Forest Service, reported killing a lava bear near Fort Rock.

[3][20] A fourth lava bear was taken alive the following year by Walter Gore and Roy Yeager in an area east of Crescent Lake.

It is also generally acknowledged that all of the animals that were killed or captured between 1917 and 1934 were either black bear cubs or small adults stunted from malnutrition.

[3][23] In 2013, The Oregonian newspaper conducted a statewide survey, asking Oregon sports fans to identify their favorite high school team mascots.

Fans from across the state of Oregon, selected Bend's Lava Bear as their top pick for large school mascot.