Mountain lions, bears and wolves, although rarely seen in Illinois, have now been given protected status under a state law, wildlife officials say.

Starting at the beginning of next year, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources will have the power to control and manage the three species to protect both them and the public, they say.

Gov. Pat Quinn signed the law placing mountain lions, also known as cougars, gray wolves and American black bears under state protection Monday.

The law is the result of recent confrontations with examples of all three species within the state's borders.

"Wolves, mountain lions and black bears have been absent from Illinois for more than 150 years," INDR Director Marc Miller said in a department release. "As the populations of these animals continue to grow, we expect to see occasional individuals dispersing from their current ranges into Illinois."

Earlier in the summer a black bear was spotted during its 300-mile journey across northern Illinois. There have been no sightings of the animal since then, and wildlife experts say they believe it's now in Wisconsin.

In December 2013, a female gray wolf was hit and killed by a car in LaSalle County, in the north/central part of the state, and in November of last year an Illinois Conservation Police officer, responding to a report from a farm owner, shot and killed a mountain lion in Whiteside County in the northwest corner of the state.

Under the new protections, animals of the three species may not be killed unless they represent an imminent threat to humans.

Landowners will still request nuisance permits to kill any animals that do not immediately threaten people or property.

Despite the recent sightings, wildlife officials say they don't expect large numbers of any of the three species moving into Illinois, because the state does not possess sufficient habitat space for them.

Researchers using habitat models say they've found only 14 percent of the state's area is appropriate for gray wolves, 14.7 percent could host black bears and just 6.6 percent would be habitable for cougars.

The U.S. Endangered Species Act and a similar state measure already protected the gray wolf; now all three species have been granted state protections.

The three species were common when the first settlers moved into Illinois but had disappeared by the mid-1880s.

They have returned to some of their former ranges in the East and Midwest of the U.S. due to legal protections and restoration of habitat.

The IDNR has urged property owners to reduce the chances of wildlife encounters by safeguarding potential food sources such as pet food, barbecue grills and other sources including trash.