View Full Version : Bears killed
from NewsChannel5 (WTVF-TV): (http://www.newschannel5.com/)
Wildlife officers killed a female black bear & three cubs suspected of attacking a woman outside her East Tennessee cabin.
The attack happened over the weekend near Gatlinburg. Officials say the animals were on the deck of the womans cabin rummaging through garbage. Her husband tried to chase them off, & was knocked down by the mother bear, & bitten. The bears were found & killed yesterday (Monday).
The woman was not seriously hurt.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
10-31-2006, 10:20
Sad. The area where these people live is on the edge of the GSMNP. Because of this year's draught, the bears don't have enough mast to fatten up for the winter sleep and starting to forage on garbage.
Chris_Asheville
10-31-2006, 10:37
I totally agree. I feel for these bears tremendously. We constantly move closer to the habitat and become "outraged" when a bear comes on "our" property.
I wish there was a society dedicated to the preservation on the Black Bear.....
The killing of mama and the three cubs is very sad.
If you live there in bearville, don't you think one would not put garbage on their porch in the first place?
Sad.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
10-31-2006, 11:05
There is more to the story of why the bears were killed:
http://www.thedailytimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061031/NEWS/610310309&SearchID=73261536073966
Wildlife officers killed a female black bear and three cubs suspected of attacking a woman they encountered after rummaging through garbage on the deck of her Gatlinburg cabin, authorities said Monday.
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officers spotted the bear and the cubs at a nearby garbage collection center Saturday afternoon, a few hours after Carole Benoist, 73, was attacked.
They were unable to tranquilize the animals then, but they did set a trap that caught one of the cubs later in the day, according to a TWRA statement.
Later that evening, TWRA received reports of aggressive bears chasing people in the area, which is near Great Smoky Mountains National Park. No one apparently was hurt.
On Sunday, the bears returned to the same location. They chased people and tried to get into a residence. This time "TWRA personnel located the bears and made the decision to euthanize the animals," the agency statement said.
Common sense would dictate that if you live in an area prone to bear activity that you wouldn't "leave your garbage on the front porch". :rolleyes:
However, people new to the area/not used to living in/near wilderness or people without any knowledge of bear behaviour don't have a clue that if you leave garbage outside that animals, big and small will attempt to make a meal out of your trash. Its not a common topic of discussion -- people who live in remote areas usually don't visit discussion boards or meet up with people where bear activity/behaviour is a common topic of debate.
You and I may think that this sense is common, but I would be willing to bet that the "common" American has no idea why you shouldn't leave your trash outside, and even less of an idea of what to do if you encounter a black bear. (Most people think you should play dead if you encounter a black bear). It's unfortunate, but if everyone had sense we (meaning hikers/outdoorspeople in general) all think is common, no one would ever leave a trace, I wouldn't have to pick up a pound or more of trash to pack out every time I go hiking and the world would probably be very much better off. Thankfully the woman wasn't seriously injured and unfortunately a black bear and two cubs bore the brunt of someone's lack of knowledge. The best we can do is our part to make this knowledge all the more "common" by educating and preventing these kind of interactions in the future.
I totally agree. I feel for these bears tremendously. We constantly move closer to the habitat and become "outraged" when a bear comes on "our" property.
I wish there was a society dedicated to the preservation on the Black Bear.....
The killing of mama and the three cubs is very sad.
Groups that hunt them are typically the most vocal for the species' preservation and are usually those who dive deeper into their pockets contributing to it. Ducks Unlimited comes to mind, a sportsman's group that brought ducks and geese back from the verge of extinction and were significant in banning market hunting.
maybe if they were hunted more......
from NewsChannel 5 (WTVF-TV) (http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=5612783)
Bear rescue could have taken cubs after weekend attack
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. A nonprofit organization that rehabilitates orphaned bears said they would have taken three black bear cubs who were euthanized in Gatlinburg after the cubs' mother attacked a woman.
Authorities said 73-year-old Carol Benoist was attacked Saturday morning when the animals were rummaging through garbage on the deck of her cabin. Benoist was treated and released.
Tennessee wildlife officials caught and killed the cubs and the mother over the weekend.
The president of Appalachian Bear Rescue, Jack Burgin, told The Knoxville News Sentinel that their facility in Townsend could have taken the cubs.
Allen Ricks with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said the young bears were already demonstrating aggressive behavior like the mother.
Wildlife officials encourage people not to feed bears or leave food out because they will become aggressive and associate people with food.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten
so sad, there was no reason to kill them, the bears didn't even kill her.
SGT Rock
10-31-2006, 15:13
Well the problem is they get habituated to human contact and food. They may not have killer her - this time. But as they come into contact more with humans, then they start loosing their fear of them too. There are still a lot of bears out there. The smart thing to do if you live in an area like that is to practice good waste management so you don't endanger the animals by contributing to the problem. Just look at old Tim Treadwell...
And I agree, sometimes hunters are the biggest advocates of wildlife restoration. Deer were practically extinct in many places in the east, but hunters have been practicing population management to help bring back and maintain healthy deer populations. Organizations like White Tails Unlimited and Ducks Unlimited have done a lot more actual work in restoring these animal populations than many of the well meaning anti-hunting people.
While it may seem cruel to some, hunting is a natural part of what maintains an ecosystem. Even bears will eat their own.
Shouldn't this thread be over in the Media area instead of the Articles area?
SGT Rock
10-31-2006, 16:24
Good point HOI
Two Speed
10-31-2006, 16:29
Just want to say I think you're doing a great job and I (among a lot of other folks, I'm sure) appreciate your efforts. Keep up the good work and come home safe with ALL of your people.
SGT Rock
10-31-2006, 16:34
Thanks Two Speed. But I just split all that unpleasantness off to another place. People may not know what the heck you are talking about.
Show is over folks. Nothing to see here.
New guys - read the user agreement.
Two Speed
10-31-2006, 16:36
No problems; you must have been working while I was posting. If you want to yank my post and this one do what you think is best; not trying to reignite this mess.
SGT Rock
10-31-2006, 16:41
Naw, have a good one. I have to go on patrol tomorrow and I gotta keep my Karma level.
message deleted......whoops....somehow things are loading backwards here....replied to a past post.:)
RockyTrail
10-31-2006, 17:01
I used to deer hunt here in Georgia but haven't in years now. My understanding, in talking with DNR folks is that most bear that are taken are actually taken by deer hunters who happened to come across a bear that was suitable game. The seasons for both overlap; mostly during the month of November in North Georgia. Taking bears with cubs are strictly forbidden, and the season limit is 1 bear.
Bottom line is that there are not that many bears hunted, and ironically as a result they don't have nearly the backing and support that deer and turkey do from their respective hunting organizations. Those groups value their game populations as much as WB'ers value the AT.