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Subscribe to RSSIt was unusual even by standards in Montana, where black bears have to be euthanized every so often after incidents with humans: 7 bears, including 2 cubs, had to be put down over the last week because an individual had been feeding them and many others -- reportedly for years.
"The last thing we wanted to do is remove these bears," Lee Anderson, a warden with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, said in a statement Wednesday by the agency after five bears were killed in recent days. "But we had no choice because of the danger they pose to local residents."
Two more were found and euthanized later Wednesday.
"This was very unusual," spokesman John Fraley told NBC News. "I can’t remember this many bears euthanized in such a short period of time in the past decade or more in our area."
The agency responded after getting reports that a resident of Heron, a town close to the border with Idaho, was feeding bears.
"One male black bear weighed 485 pounds, and one female weighed nearly 300 pounds," the agency stated. "These are unusually heavy for black bears, reflecting their condition in response to artificial feeding."
A woman told the local newspaper, the Sanders County Ledger, that she had been feeding the bears, many of them orphans, as a way of "teaching them to survive in the wild."
"I taught them to run from outfitters and pickups," said Barbara Sweeney, who added that she and her late husband had run an animal refuge at their property for 22 years.
"I taught them how to hibernate, too," she said.
"People have known I've been doing this for years" and without any problems, she added. "If they would have said something, I would have stopped."
The case is under investigation, and the local county attorney could press charges. Montana law bars the feeding of bears and other wildlife.
Montana does allow seasonal hunting of black bears, which are not an endangered species.
The department said it could not find a zoo willing to take the bears and that releasing them somewhere else could pose new problems.
"It would be irresponsible to release these potentially dangerous bears somewhere else when the bears are in such a food-conditioned state," said Department Wildlife Manager Jim Williams.
Such bears have a history of attacking humans, including an attack in late September in Montana's Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, he added.
"This is a very unfortunate example of how feeding bears directly leads to their death," noted Jim Satterfield, supervisor for the area where the bears were fed. "This is why we tell the public that feeding a bear is the same as signing its death warrant."
The euthanized bears were buried in a landfill to prevent contact with humans or wildlife, the agency said.
A black bear nicknamed 'Meatball' that roamed and foraged numerous California neighborhoods is tranquilized and safely released into the woods. TODAY.com's Dara Brown reports.
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warhorse why is it when someone tells the truth about women negroes commies fags he hates everything if I told you it was raining would I then hate water? anyway being the bears were balck of course they had to be on a food program lol
People need to go to this website to really learn about black bear behavior. They are not the killers people make them out to be. Website address is: www.bear.org This guy has been studying bears for a long time, and bears are one of the most misunderstood animal. People have to stop believing all the fairy tales they were told when they were young about how bears will attack you.
In Iowa and pretty much any farm state, you'll find the largest welfare recipient is most likely a republican farmer CT, and have you ntoiced their steadfast refusal to give up their welfare? Even the new farm bill simply calls it by another bane but it's still billions of dollars in welfare.
For those of you upset about the culling, it is common and/or required practice to kill bears that have developed human dependancies. And correctly so.
Check out www.bear.org
I continue to hope for the same population control to be implemented on the human race...
I can only continue to hope.
too bad the bears have to suffer because of some human stupidity. i don't see why they couldn't have relocated them or put them in a zoo or sanctuary somewhere. too bad the bears didn't eat that lady first.
Just check out the Vince Shute Wildlife Refuge in northern Minnesota and you'll see how senseless and stupid killing these bears were
So who's going to put down the idiot who fed the bears in the first place? Will this person who caused all this be punished in anyway?
"The euthanized bears were buried in a landfill to prevent contact with humans or wildlife, the agency said..."
Ironic, as they were put down BECAUSE they had contact with humans.
Can't even get my mind around this story...
We should euthanize the lady that was feeding the bears
and then bury her with them.
Don't understand why the cubs were euthanized.Orphaned cubs whose mother has been hit by a car,or shot,or died unexpectedly,have been raised by people that are certified to do this,and then released back into the wild,here in NH,and I'm sure other states.It's just sad that this was going on for so long and no one knew,or told the authorities??Doesn't make sense!Great job,lady,getting all those bears killed!Sometimes,I think humans are the ones who should be euthanized!
This area of Montana is extremely unpopulated! Heron has probably 75 people. I am from there, I lived there! This woman has been doing this since before I was in elementary school. Those bears never affected anyone. She was not even in town, she was down on the highway about 5 miles away. 99% of the people in this country have never even heard of this town or Noxon.
Heron currently has over 200 people. I live there now. And I have hit a bear with my car in front of this "sanctuary" which is really just a run down house and some chain link pens. so they have affected people. It is very sad that these bears had to be put down, however a black bear that is hungry and used to getting food from humans IS incredibly dangerous. They hadn't hurt anyone- Yet.
And they have been re-introducing bears here- Grizzly bears. Although I imagine she will stay away from feeding them...
the speed limit on the Hwy in front of this place is 70mph...
Listen, the point of the story is this.
Black bears are scared of humans by nature--that is, until they are fed by humans. They lose their fear and develop a taste for "human food." Before long, these bears will be raiding campsites looking for food, and possibly become violent.
Also, this encourages bears to enter more populated areas in search of more food--and why not? They are no longer scared of humans.
It is a shame that this happened to the bears, but truly, the Fish and Game were out of options. There were no zoos willing to take the animals, and no matter where the bears were transplanted, they would always find their way back to populated areas.
Check out www.bear.org Learn about them before you comment.
What exactly did you find incorrect?
Wasn't it in Montana that they just killed off a whole pack of wolves this week so that the rancher could keep letting his cows graze on tax payers' land instead of him providing them grazing??
Washington State. The rancher pays to use public land. If I rent a home, rather than own it, do I give up my right to protect myself?
Wow: 450 lbs Black Bears....Heck they are just cubs...Come to North East PA and you'll see 600 to 890 lb Black bears. They should have shoot the one feeding them....Must of been a Tea wacker:
Phew...so relieved..I thought some jackass shot some of the chicago bears...just as they got rolling!
on another note...too bad these bears didn't eat the dumb ass woman...sounds like they were making a bigger contribution to life on earth...
Might as well have been the Chicago Bears. No Superbowl for them this year. Cutler is a clown.
and who do you like?
I would love to know what bears CAN do that does not lead to their death. If they eat the fish that human fish for sport, they get shot. If they come close to human homes that were put up after destroying bear habitat, they get shot. So as long as any animal stays out of our way and doesn't need anything we want, they get to live. Some animals can get away with living amongst us, most however cannot.
A big problem is that many of the personnel who work at Fish and Game may be neighbors to people who disregard the law. They may find it hard to rat on a friend and neighbor. That black bears can be dangerous so can any wild animal. That is why they are called wild and they are not pets. This woman was totally wrong and she be prosecuted for what she did. DO NOT feed any wild animal. No not even Bambi. You are signing an early death warrant for them. Generally, unless you just happen upon them and their cubs, black bears will move on as soon as they smell you. Their sense of smell is way beyond yours. Grizzlies are totally different. They are the largest predator in N. America and king of the mountain. That means anything on the mountain that moves is potential food including you.
Can't agree with you more Harry! The Game, Fish and Parks people need to FINE their arse big time when it comes to this. Its not the animals fault! Its ours.
While I'm no expert on bears, I rather think that killing the cubs went beyond necessary. I would have thought they would have been young enough to relocate or place in a zoo. I do fully understand that the adults could have turned on this person who was feeding them withou much provocation.
I really don't think this is an subject to compare with human behavior or politics.
Obama has 43 million Americans on food stamps, i.e., being fed by the government. Does Obama plan to euthanize them? There clearly isn't any money left in the US Government accounts to feed them anymore.
I wondered just how long it would take before someone brought in sickening politics. That just doesn't belong here.
Why couldn't that have been seven members of the kartrashian family. Poor bears.
The animals always pay for it in the end!!! Would have liked them to move them some place where they could live in the wild but to do that is a money issue. We tred on their land building homes ect. and they are at fault? People who try to pamper WILD animals are just looking for trouble. They don't know what goes on in the real world with them. I hunt and fish but when I see things like this, it just ticks me off big time!!!! WE cause the problem, not the animals.
It's our land. Didn't you listen to Woody Guthrie?
Heaven forbid they actually harvest the meat for people in need. Why just bury them in a landfill..........such a waste.
Its too bad you could have called me and I could have shot those bears for free, it seems to be a waste of natural resource, I mean Bear skin rugs, Paws sent to china, Necklace of claws, Cars seat covers and so.
I hate to tell you Folks this but its HUNTING SEASON now in the Rocky Mountains. That's what we do during Hunting Season, KILL Bears, Deer, ElK and Liberals.
please come to chicago...just don't kill the bears
You're proof positive that Republicans are stupid.
"One male black bear weighed 485 pounds, and one female weighed nearly 300 pounds," the agency stated. "These are unusually heavy for black bears, reflecting their condition in response to artificial feeding."
Maybe we should cull fat people who are on welfare.
What an excuse to kill bears. and the cubs too.
Can you read?
Apparently not.