Bearing In Mind...
I seem to be writing a lot about bears on this blog. I guess it's something I feel more strongly about than I'd thought. After coming home to the mountains just over a year ago after nearly 15 years of city dwelling, I have come to appreciate wildlife a lot more.
So, this happened in a town not far from here. I love the idea of composting - really, I do. I also love my wildlife. Unfortunately, the two are not compatible in this neck of the woods. While I applaud people for their desire to compost, you have to be a bit of a nitwit to do it in these parts. It is a huge bear attractant - as big as garbage and unattended fruit trees. We are fortunate enough to live in bear country; why ruin it with something like this?
The bear in this case was killed. It might have orphaned cubs now. This follows another case of a local bear and her cubs that were deemed problems in a community near Trail, and in that instance, the mama bear and the the cubs were all destroyed. They had not attacked anyone.
Destroying the bears is not a solution. Human diligence is. When are we going to get it?
6 comments:
Excellent post and advice, WC!
Poor bears.. They are only trying to survive as we blithely go about our business forgetting we are part of a larger whole.
The new clerk that got elected back "there" used to brag about how many bears she shot. Shiver. I jokingly ask her what they had ever done to her - uh, maybe that is that one reason I am not employed there anymore?
I wonder if bear designated feeding spots away from civilization would be practical. Maybe their sources of food are drying up?
As we spread our homes into their homes, the number of bear/human interactions is rising. Usually with distressing results for the bear.
This I know from personal experience. First I nearly ran down momma and the cubs on my way to the grocery store. This happened in nearer suburbia, not in the woods anywhere.
I think it was one of the cubs that later paid us a visit. We called the SPCA, the cops, and just about anyone in an effort to get its furry ass hauled out of har,m's way. They really didn't seem to want to know.
Instead, the bear was shot about a week later. Why the heck do we bother with Animal Control officers anyway?
Gardenia: the climate is a huge issue. We had so little moisture this summer that the bears have little to eat out in the woods. No berries, nada. So they come into town where food is really plentiful.
Metro: Well, Animal Control...isn't that the SPCA? I don't think they deal with wildlife. I find it so ironic that our "conservation" officers are the ones who make the decision to do the shooting. How is that conservationist? It's not! Around here, we know the worst thing you can do is call the conservation people because if they get a complaint they HAVE to kill the bear.
It's very frustrating for me to hear these stories of human/bear encounters that end with a dead bear. These events seem to be happening all too frequently.
We are so use to controlling nature that dealing with bears has become another matter that just needs to be controlled. We like to see them as entertainment or as something to be studied but as soon as they behave like...well like bears, we claim they're a threat.
We're the ones out of control not the bears.
Now, I'm wondering how they got the bear out of the cemetery in the town I worked in last year. One does not lead a bear by the hand.
I'm wondering if, at this time of year, in the colder climates (Florida has bears too in its great wild explanses) that the bears are doing their best to stuff themselves as they are preparing for hibernation - hopefully they aren't nursing cubs this late in the summer....
When we went to Silver Springs, they had bears - one small Florida bear - ah, so cute, but wouldn't want to meet him on a stroll, and then a Kodak bear which was a beauty - but I felt sorry for him until I heard the lengths they went to to keep him comfortable in the Florida climate. Well, still felt kind of sorry for all of them - their home was nice but bears should not be penned up.
Post a Comment