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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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Leave a Comment:
Why could they not take these animals and put them in a zoo now that they are humanized..? Why did they have to kill them? I have never understood this mentality... I think it is a bit small / closed minded.... Did they penalize the people that fed them?
Montana needs to pass a law punshing violators who feed bears, say 5-10 years for every bear euthanized.
Let Montana know how you feel. Raise your voice to the ones who can do something about it.
Montana Fish and Wildlife email: fwpgen@mt.gov
They may not read your post here, but a full server of emails will get someones attention.
I wonder if these so called wildlife experts have heard of RELOCATION! We have a hell of alot of space in Alaska. At least give them a fighting chance!
Can they come live in your yard?
Who gives a f@ck. It is not 7 ppl that are being put to death! Get over it! Have you seen what a bear does to a human? Get your priorties in order!
Humans suck. Bears don't.
The answer is clear as a bell. Put ALL bears into protected habitats. This will save bears from humans and humans from bears. Weve got the land. Weve got the ability. GET IT DONE.
Yes, I agree. That is a great idea. We have the knowledge and the ability to fix all of these problems and yet everyone sits back and does nothing. I feel so helpless, but something has got to be done so stop selfish humans, who think this world revolves around them. Animals have been here longer, and we have invaded their territory. They should be killing us.
47% of the USA population contributions N O T H I N G not even an ounce of anything for their flush. We have 8-9 of the same heathen breeding generations continuing their "I am a victim" on the backs of workers like me: I cannot support myself and my family--and those who blood suck off of me!
What a nation: of barbaric degenerate 2-leggeds: when you die...you will go direct to H e l l and become what you have done...
Animals were here first.
Remember fools who think animals "do not have feelings!"
One becomes how they are treated: so obviously those who think nothing of killing of GOD's creations as nature...were NEVER nurtured...and will defend killing until you are killed...
Barbarians...are increasing..
Our nation takes in 7-8 MILLION 2 leggeds annually claiming the paving over of a landmass the size of Delaware to accommodate them...each year...WHAT have you obviously cowards done about that?
You kill helpless animals, knock down trees, and throw your human waste in Planet Earth: which amounts to what?
Amazing...the nation that is supposed to be an example for the world is no longer worthy of its existence.
Harbinger warned direct from GOD...vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord and Hell overfloweth...with those who have no conscience and live by their hate, ignorance, and inability to contribute to anything positive: let alone elevate themselves by making a positive difference...what a demented, nonviable, meager, wasted drag on everything and everyone you touch and expose yourself to..
Do Unto Others As You WOuld Have Them Do Unto YOU..the DEVIL awaits you and yours...
We demand you fire everyone involved or better yet have a bounty on their flesh and let the big hunters hunt them down just like their do to helpless critters here millions of years before their wasted 2-legged consumption toxic poison was conceived...
I love animals, too
fried
baked
broiled and grilled
yum
Very funny. What a jerk. Perhaps a cannable might be interested in tasting you.
Wow Humans killing animals---where have I seen this before...oh thats right....EVERYWHERE!
Humans---You are the ones who need to be hunted down and shot.
Humans---YOU are the biggest threat to the environment and need to be hunted down and SHOT.
Humans---YOU are the destroyer of nature, the rapist of resources, and you should be hunted down and SHOT.
Humans---You will be exterminated for being the biggest FAILURE of ALL nature-made creatures.
Humans---NOOB SPECIES
This is such a tragedy! Stupid people and innocent animals being killed for no good reason. Why not transport the bears somewhere else, where they can get away from the food they were dependant on. Why do you have to kill innocent animals?? When will this world wake up and do what is right. It is not right to kill innocent animals who have not hurt anyone. And you what, all bears want is food. All they are trying to do is survive and we kill them for it. This world needs to wake up and do what is right. Because if we all start doing what is wrong, we will have hell on earth. We are supposed to take chaos and turn it into order, not the other way around. I pray for this world and all of its sufferings.
No Animal needs to be killed for this Reason, sounds like Laziness to me, I think this is just wrong, if the agency would actually DO Their Job, this never would have happened, it's sad that killing is the easier way to things!
Grew up in rural Alaska. Not a problem with black bears, some up to 500 lbs. Unless a danger and they attacked, were NEVER "put down". Now brown and grizzlies roam parts around Anchorage, they get in the dumps, etc. and unless they become a problem they are left alone. Montana and Washington with their fear of bears and wolves, and like other crazy "Lower 48" mainstream people, think you all are Gods in this world we live in and can kill anything that you think MAY be hurtful at some point MAYBE at some time. Possibly, eventually, by the way things are going, you guys will have killed everything off which sustains the cycle of life, and then wonder where it all went.....and will come a'runnin' to the wilderness - again....you disgust me, Montana - you did NOT protect ANYTHING or ANYONE - your "Fish and Wildlife" organization is a joke...and your reasoning for not relocating are lame, at best - again, fear of what may happen - you are not the rulers of this universe, even though you act like you are. Shame on you.
This woman is an idiot. She thinks she taught them to hibernate and run from cars? And if she did, she did the exact opposite of teaching them to live in the wild. I hope she is charged with something.
Here we are again, innocent animals being euthanized because of human error. Don't get me wrong I understand this womans need to connect and help orphaned bears or any other type of animal which may wander into her life in need of help, I'm the same way...BUT RELOCATE the animals! If thats not opossible, put them in a zoo, especially the cubs! For Gods sakes they are a part of nature and an important part of our world. Personally there are just too many humans....PERIOD! And they are moving in on the territory of wild animals which I truly don't believe was Gods intention. Instead of trying to save the people from the big bad aminals that were here first, how about we preserve their space and promote a program that has all humans steralized at birth (reversable by a certified doctor of course). Once you reach a certain age you can apply to breed, pass a test and if they deem you fit to procreate you may have a limited number of spawn to occupy valuable space on earth. Face it, theres a crapload of "people" with opposable thumbs and the capability of getting jobs all over the place and they are feeding off of the government every day, morning, noon and night and WE the taxpayers are supporting them...Poor bears don't even have thumbs and therefore couldn't contribute if they wanted to and they get euthanized??? And all they want to eat is leftovers and trash...WHY are humans so cruel????
A beary, beary sad state of affairs! What the dept. of land management should have done was flown the seven sedated bears to the Arctic to protect the area from oil drillers rather than euthanize them.
Get rid of these gun-happy rednecks. These bears could have been sent to a place where they could live their lives in peace and without the threat of animal killers.
Montana: you should be ashamed of these killers. These were innocent animals who did not need to die.
I am outraged! Human's feed the bears, bears become used it free handouts, so humans kill them? What the hell are we thinking. Kill the humans who fed them and relocate the bears 800 miles into the wilderness.
You know..this confuses me on so many levels. Why did they kill them? Why couldn't they have been moved to a wildlife preserve somewhere, or a zoo???? People made them act the way that they did so people should also be responsible to pay for their upkeep at a zoo or wildlife preserve.
What you want the government employees to MOVE THEM, they would involve THINKING, and for christ sake, Government employees DONT THINK. Lets not FORGET how much FUN these CRITTERS have in catching and killing the bears. Ever been to a Government emergency Cluster CLUCK. They love it.
Epic FAIL, Our Nations Government employees and managers SUCK. What's next. Lets euthenize all the food stamp creatures that the Tax Payers feed for more then six months! After all, if we continue to feed them, they will never ever WORK for survival. Save the bears, they can't get food stamps.
They are black bears people! There are millions of them. Sometimes they get too comfortable around people and need to be destroyed. Life's a beach.
Bears are not "big dogs" as some people regard them. The last guy who ran a bear 'sanctuary' up north wound up being eaten by one of his friendly bruins. When an animal is big enough, and armed enough, in order to "do the job" it is best not to treat them as house pets.
There is also a sanctuary in Colorado. It very professionally run and has been in business since 1980.
Here is an excerpt from their website:
The Sanctuary is located on rural, rolling grasslands northeast of the Denver Metro area. Comprising 720 acres and sheltering more than 290 Lions, Tigers, Bears, Leopards, Mountain Lions, Wolves and other large carnivores, it is the first sanctuary of its kind to create large acreage species-specific habitats for its rescued animals.
Seems to me that many here have very little room to comment on human/bear interation. You tell me if some asshat feeding a bear next door, trained it to be in your neighborhood where you children play...would you be so probear? Every year we have a problem with bears in our small town and every year thousands of dollars in damage from these animals occur in their search for food. This can be caused by just ONE bear. Take this by seven along with the probability of a mauling. Don't feed me the garbage of "They were never agressive.." It is never a question of if..it is a question of when. To any of you that value a life of an animal over that of a human...I hope you never meet that same human introduced wild animal and need help when it turns on you. And FYI to all of you screaming relocation...we just had a bear that was relocated to a remote national forest that is over 200 miles away...in two months time, that same bear was back terroizing the neighborhood.
i hate people and dont care if they're bear food... people are like a virus -- just spreading and destroying everything. I feel for the bears and the baby cubs i mean why kill them? put them in a zoo or something come on assh9les use your worthless brains
To The People Feeding These Bears:
They probably have a better chance at staying alive if you stop.
To the whiners, if you're not living on the moon you've displaced an animal and destroyed their habitat, so get over it. Your no better than any other animal killer just more pathetic.
Feeding the bears in Montana is no different than feeding the gators in Florida. It's all illegal and humans know it. We need to start euthanizing humans and not the animals.