Bibb County deputies responded to a report of a large dead bear on westbound Interstate 16 shortly after 7:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Officers on the scene estimated it was about 600 pounds and apparently had been hit by a vehicle that left the scene, said Lt. Sean DeFoe, public information officer for the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office.

“There’s a lot of wildlife in that wooded area,” DeFoe said. “You have a lot of creeks and streams out there.”

The carcass was on the side of the road just outside the Twiggs County line near Mile Marker 8, he said.

Deputies called Georgia Department of Transportation crews to remove it shortly before 8 a.m. Wednesday.

They also notified the Department of Natural Resources, DeFoe said.