Black Bears

[Matt]

wait, does that mean people hunt bears with bows?

[backpacker]

Why sure, It's more of a challenge to get within 20 yards (60 feet) of a bear.

[Brenda]

It evens things up a bit, don't you think?

[backpacker]

Yup i agree

[Brenda]

I don't know if anyone else has been following this story. I didn't bother to post about the original "drama" of the bear being sighted in Geddes because it's become so commonplace. As of noon yesterday the bear was safe and sound at a wildlife rehaber, then last night I heard about the following! I am absolutely outraged at the way this was handled!!! Dave Riehlman works out of the Cortland DEC office. The mailing address there is: 1285 Fisher Ave., Cortland, NY 13045

Officials euthanize black bear in Upstate New York
Animal's trek that ended in Geddes began with tag in Cortland County
By William Kates
The Associated Press

GEDDES — A 6-foot black bear that caused a daylong stir while roaming an Upstate New York suburb was euthanized Friday after being shot with a tranquilizer the night before.

The bear was finally captured just after nightfall Thursday when authorities found it feeding on some bushes and then climbing into a tree in the same neighborhood where it had been spotted earlier Thursday. Officials from the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse tranquilized the bear.

Tom LaBarge, a zoo worker, hit the bear with one shot. After 10 to 15 minutes, the bear slid to the ground. Authorities put the bear into a crate and transported it to a wildlife rehabilitation center in Oswego County but had to euthanize it around noon Friday.

The bear was in distress and still groggy from the tranquilizer shot that was used to sedate him, said Dave Riehlman, a DEC wildlife biologist.

Because of the bear's medical condition, and because the bear had a history of getting too close to residential areas, Riehlman said DEC officials decided to euthanize it.

DEC officials said the bear was the same one that wandered into a neighborhood in the Seneca County town of Waterloo a year ago and caused damage before being relocated.

Wildlife officials say there are likely to be more such incursions in the coming years as the state's bear population continues to grow.

State wildlife biologists estimated there are as many as 7,000 black bears in New York, up from about 5,000 in 1995, the last time a detailed estimate was compiled.

“Once the male comes of age, they are kicked out of their immediate family group and forced to go find a vacant place to set up their home range,” said H. Brian Underwood, a research biologist at the State University of New York's College of Environmental Forestry and Science. “Basically, what we are seeing are the bears expanding their range in New York and moving into new habitats.”

The state's two predominant black bear populations are in the Adirondacks and in the Catskills, but because black bears are great travelers, they pass through virtually every Upstate county, he said.

With the growing numbers of bears has come an increase in the number of bear-human conflicts. The DEC said it has had a growing number of reports of bears causing property damage.

In 2007, the state Bureau of Wildlife handled 958 nuisance complaints about black bears, up from 587 in 2005, said Maureen Wren, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

On Thursday, DEC officials and police spent 15 hours searching for the black bear after it was spotted just after dawn by local residents on a cul-de-sac in this western Syracuse suburb.

DEC officer Rick Head said the bear was likely migrating to a new territory when it found its path blocked by a local highway.

Although DEC officials said the bear posed no danger unless it was provoked or cornered, local schools canceled recess and outdoor gym classes as a precaution and provided bus rides home to students who normally walked.

Head said the bear was probably a 1- or 2-year-old male. It weighed about 250 pounds, he said. DEC officials said the bear had been tagged previously in Cortland County.

http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps/pb ... 00341/1002

[ShanaD]

What the hell is wrong with people?! What was the bear's medical condition?

[Brenda]

AND, how much of a HISTORY can a 1 or 2 year old bear have??? I found it odd that zoo staff were the ones who handled the situation initially. I also found it odd that the bear was taken to a rehab instead of just being taken up north and released. All reports indicated that the bear was unharmed when it was tranquilized. Perhaps zoo staff took it to the rehab to hold until the DEC could come to relocate it? It seems that the entire situation was handled poorly from the beginning.

[backpacker]

The problem with bears and other wild animals is when they loose the fear of people they become a hazard. Their off spring also loose this fear, out here the village of Old Forge has a major problem with bears, deer, and coons because people feed them and think their cute. Little do they know their doing more harm to the animal than good? When I went to New Mexico hiking I was in an area that had over 2400 hikers pass thru in a 6 week time frame. All excursions were 10 days or more spent on the trail. As you can see this creates a lot of animal contact with people. By following proven guidelines for cooking, cleaning and storage of your food the bear people problem is not an issue. The area I was in has a large number of bears and rarely was there a problem. If a bear was seen or damage found due to a careless hiker the bear was trapped, tagged and moved over 75 miles away. If the bear came back (and most of the time they did) then the bear was killed. Yes it’s sad that the wildlife have to suffer due to the carelessness of a small group of people.
We now have the same problem with bears in the Adirondacks. The bears have learned to look for the rope that holds the bag of food, they break the rope and eat the food and stay in that area due to the easy pickings. Now all hikers are required to carry a bear canister to store your food and other smelly things in (more weight more bulk).