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Actually, the Russians have developed an effective method for rescuing orphan bear cubs, and later releasing them back into the wild, as I pointed out earlier. The video explains it. The adolescent bears have managed fine on their own, after being released. Our own wildlife rescue centers should study and replicate that method. Not that orphaned bears are a frequent problem in the US, but still....it doesn't hurt to learn new care methods.
Man I've learned in the last day or so you are an expert understating law, especially self defense and now bear rescue and rehabilitation. What a wide range of expertise
They just saved two cubs in Montana because the mother was shot.
That was done by state wildlife officials.The mother was killed for breaking into homes and barns looking for food, and was also killing livestock. That is completely different then a hiker picking up a baby bear that he found, knowing nothing about where the mother bear was.
a)Those are not American black bears. Different bear species have different behavior patterns.
b)That video contained zero information about the efficacy of their methods or the long term outcomes for the bears they've released (intend to release? Not clear on whether they've ever even done it yet, based on the clip). It also did not discuss where the releases are taking place (e.g. did they find somewhere in remote Russia a bear might reasonably be expected not to encounter humans again?).
Here's follow-up info, you can read all about it. Projects like the one in the video are overseen by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, a Canadian and Brit organization. They're not only rehabilitating orphaned bears, but orphaned Siberian tigers, as well, and with great success.
That was done by state wildlife officials.The mother was killed for breaking into homes and barns looking for food, and was also killing livestock. That is completely different then a hiker picking up a baby bear that he found, knowing nothing about where the mother bear was.
My point is regarding the moral imperative of saving cubs or not. A moral imperative does not have to be carried out by official government representatives, nor does law constrain or change the fact what it is to a person. It is obvious that yes, cubs do get saved, and just because it was not the government doing it does not mean it should not be done. Given what the articles I read about this situation, the cub was just about dead and could not even move, so I doubt there was a mother around.
You must be looking at a different story than the one I referring to; the two grizzly cubs were captured back last year, they found the mother alive but she was in bad condition after being shot and they had to euthanize her. They are still looking for who shot her and the one cub that was shot.
Here's follow-up info, you can read all about it. Projects like the one in the video are overseen by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, a Canadian and Brit organization. They're not only rehabilitating orphaned bears, but orphaned Siberian tigers, as well, and with great success.
Again, do you have an actual study, not just PR material, showing the outcomes for those bears?
And again, even if they have had success - those are brown bears. Looks like a few different brown bear subspecies. Zero black bears, let alone American black bears.
Black bears and brown bears are separate species. Some laypeople get this confused, because black bears can have brown colored fur and vice versa, but they are different animals. Both species are in the bear family, but are separate species with divergent evolutions, including diverging social behaviors, diets, ecological niches, morphologies, etc., just as the various wolves, jackals, coyotes, fox, etc. are all in the canid family, but not interchangeable.
American black bears are very much not at risk, unlike some of the Eurasian bears (other than, IIRC, there's a central American blackie subspecies that has some issues), and face different human interaction issues due to their range and their behaviors.
Well, you have the website, you can peruse it and see if they have follow-up studies. They don't mention that they tag the bears, so I'm not sure how they'd follow up. You could contact them and ask. But it seems to me the problem with reintroducing any wild species (tigers, among others) to the wild after being in human care would be similar. The challenge is to do it in a way that allows them to become independent of humans in adulthood. The IFAW has had some follow-up with adult tigers, and they've seen that they're having young ones and are raising them to hunt, and all. I assume they're seeing similar results with the bears.
Why don't all of you alleged animal lovers just allow nature to take care of itself. The momma bear would have come back or the cub may have died. Perfectly natural in either case.
I say charge and convict the guy.
YES! We should prosecute this to the fullest.....after all, rescued wildlife is a HUGE problem in this country!
We have far too many people showing empathy and compassion and that needs to be stamped out!
Well, you have the website, you can peruse it and see if they have follow-up studies.
I did. Didn't find any. And you're the one making the claim that this should be applied here.
Quote:
They don't mention that they tag the bears, so I'm not sure how they'd follow up. You could contact them and ask. But it seems to me the problem with reintroducing any wild species (tigers, among others) to the wild after being in human care would be similar. The challenge is to do it in a way that allows them to become independent of humans in adulthood. The IFAW has had some follow-up with adult tigers, and they've seen that they're having young ones and are raising them to hunt, and all. I assume they're seeing similar results with the bears.
No. The problem with black bears being raised in captivity is not "independence," it is that they lose natural caution around humans, and see humans and human activity as an easy food source. Black bears are highly curious, bold, and food-motivated to start with, and routine contact with humans exacerbates the issue where human interactions are concerned. They have sufficient strength, dexterity, and problem solving to access human structures. And black bears live in regions where humans are prevalent. Surely you can see the obvious problems.
Since the wildlife center thanked him, and also discussed how dehydrated the bear cub was, and also how improved he was after their treatment....I don't see how they can then charge the man.
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