Here's one explanation for problem bears in Virginia

[chef4]

According to an article from the Washington Post, this man has been feeding black bears in his yard for a decade. His home is about 1/2 mile from where the AT crosses I 66 in Northern Virginia.

https://www.dailyprogress.com/news/v...0d7ed848e.html

It's difficult to believe someone would intentionally do this.

[CalebJ]

[sarcasm]
A $500 fine should really get his attention.
[/sarcasm]

[trailmercury]

[sarcasm]
A $500 fine should really get his attention.
[/sarcasm]

right...
and now his bear food budget for this year is only 9500.00

[PatmanTN]

Wow I wish there were more details. He was spending $10,000 a year on what kind of food exactly? Dog food?

[Feral Bill]

We have had people here in the inland northwest doing the same trick. With grizzlies. Stupid knows no boundaries.

[gpburdelljr]

We have had people here in the inland northwest doing the same trick. With grizzlies. Stupid knows no boundaries.

Reminds me of the movie Lake Placid.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=t79Z1S5svm4

[Crushed Grapes]

All of the facepalms. What the hell is wrong with people?

[TNhiker]

this happens a bunch around GSMNP...

and then last week or so----a woman got charged for removing a transmitter from a bear hunting dog......

[Dogwood]

That's not surprising. Have you met some of my inlaws?

WE don't have to look any further than ourselves in the mirror. OOOOHHHHHH the moronic things I have done!

[Feral Bill]

That's not surprising. Have you met some of my inlaws?

WE don't have to look any further than ourselves in the mirror. OOOOHHHHHH the moronic things I have done!

I'll admit to that. Details go with me to my grave.

[Time Zone]

It's difficult to believe someone would intentionally do this.

I can understand the general appeal of being kind to animals. We feed birds, we feed fish, we take in strays, sometimes we get a chance to feed wild animals at the zoo, etc. What's harder for me to understand is how this person convinced themselves they weren't causing a problem by habituating bears. Some animals you just gotta leave alone.

[johnnybgood]

One of my memories as a child visiting GSMNP was us kids loading up in the back of our station wagon and going to the trash dumps to watch the bears saunter out of the woods at dusk.
There were times when patience wasn't the virtue with some, getting food scrapes from their car to lure these 300 lb+ bears up to the trash barrels. We were taught to respect the bears at a distance even then, and feeding them was sending them a bad message.

[SWODaddy]

One of my memories as a child visiting GSMNP was us kids loading up in the back of our station wagon and going to the trash dumps to watch the bears saunter out of the woods at dusk.
There were times when patience wasn't the virtue with some, getting food scrapes from their car to lure these 300 lb+ bears up to the trash barrels. We were taught to respect the bears at a distance even then, and feeding them was sending them a bad message.

When I was in college, one of the guys in my dorm went to GSMNP during the break and came back with a picture of himself putting a Cheeto in the open mouth of a bear standing on its hind legs.

[Dogwood]

I can understand the general appeal of being kind to animals. We feed birds, we feed fish, we take in strays, sometimes we get a chance to feed wild animals at the zoo, etc. What's harder for me to understand is how this person convinced themselves they weren't causing a problem by habituating bears. Some animals you just gotta leave alone.

Too much Teddy Bear "love", umm ignorance.

They need to be sat down to see through the 'Faces of Death' footage of a man(a human animal) having his head swiped off like a bowling ball by a bear when he ran out of the marshmallows he was feeding to it while his children and wife watched and recorded(with audio) in horror. "Honey, don't feed the bear. Honey, don't roll down the window. Honey, no, honey don't get out of the car. Honey, don't go after the bear. Honey, honey, please get back in the car. Ahhhh AHHH Ahhh."

Bear was euthanized, if I recall correctly in GSMNP or YNP, when it mauled the hand of a child a mother had smeared peanut butter on telling the child "go over and let the bear lick the PB off your fingers." Didn't quite work out the way she thought it would.

[gpburdelljr]

Bear was euthanized, if I recall correctly in GSMNP or YNP, when it mauled the hand of a child a mother had smeared peanut butter on telling the child "go over and let the bear lick the PB off your fingers." Didn't quite work out the way she thought it would.

According to Snopes that story is an urban myth.

[Feral Bill]

According to Snopes that story is an urban myth.

Surely a rural myth, no?

[MuddyWaters]

A ranger was called to picnic area in gsmnp because of people gathered with a bear. He found a bear that appeared at first to be mauling a woman.....no wait ....dancing with her....nope....taking cookies from her held in her mouth. Standing on hind legs, paws on her shoulders.

They dont call them tourons for nothing


Bears are smart. They know the park rangers are the police, and that they are doing something they shouldnt. They will run off at sight of a ranger sometimes.

[gpburdelljr]

A ranger was called to picnic area in gsmnp because of people gathered with a bear. He found a bear that appeared at first to be mauling a woman.....no wait ....dancing with her....nope....taking cookies from her held in her mouth. Standing on hind legs, paws on her shoulders.

Sounds like another urban myth. Can you cite any news stories?

[MuddyWaters]

Sounds like another urban myth. Can you cite any news stories?

Nope, in a book, written by a gsmnp ranger, of experiences of gsmnp rangers. Written firsthand by ranger observing it, Joe Kelley.

Literally the tip of iceberg of what goes on. The average american is a blithering idiot that expects a park to be a disneyland-esq attraction.

[gpburdelljr]

Nope, in a book, written by a gsmnp ranger, of experiences of gsmnp rangers. Written firsthand by ranger observing it, Joe Kelley.

Literally the tip of iceberg of what goes on. The average american is a blithering idiot that expects a park to be a disneyland-esq attraction.

Do you remember the name of the book? Apparently he has written several.