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I'm sure, where I lived in Pa., there were people that fed the bear. I will tell, once again, the story of the bears trick or treating. Shortly after I moved there, Halloween trick or treaters were out in full force. I saw a bear run next to my house, across the road and down the cul-de-sac. I told the little girl (and others with her) to be careful because there was a bear out there. Her reply? "Oh it's ok. They trick or treat with us every year".
I don't think they are as scary as you are all making them out to be. I wouldn't get between a Mama and her cubs but other that that, they try to stay away from people.
There was a second story deck surrounded by trees where I lived. A mama bear and her 3 cubs showed up a few times. Once when I was on the deck, the Mama snorted at her cubs as a truck went by on another road and they climbed the tree right in front of me, eye to eye. She knew I was there but apparently felt no threat from me. She ignored me. When she and her cubs decided to wander, I could hear someone on the road behind me yelling "Look at all the f'ing bears!" LOL but they kept going and didn't bother anyone.
The only thing I had to do to try to keep them from wanting to come around was remove my bird feeders. What I went through to try to keep them from getting at them- well, that's another story and a very blonde one, at that. Saved for another time.
One of myths regarding danger from black bears is that a mother with cubs is the main threat. This study disproves that theory. By a large margin, adult males in a predatory mode have killed and injured the most humans. This means that mature males being fed by humans, and that have largely lost their fear of people, could be a danger. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110511074807.htm
If Mary Musselman shot the bear, out of season and without a license, nobody would be on her side. But; that is exactly what anybody does when they feed bears.
About seven years ago we heard a thud outside and looked out our window. There was a large black bear mauling our birdfeeder. So we cracked open the window and took several close-up pictures of the bear at our feeder. We also brought the feeder in, as soon as the bear left, and we did not put it out again.
Looking at the pictures we could see the tags in the bear's ears. We could even read the numbers on the tags when magnified with the computer. So I called our Pennsylvania Game Commission to find out what the tags meant and the history of the bear. They told me that it was a bear that was captured fifteen miles to our south and released (a week earlier) fifteen miles to our north. They also explained that bears get one tag in the one ear the first time they are captured for being a nuisance. The second time they are captured; they get the second tag. The third time they are euthanized.
So anybody, like Mary Musselman, that thinks they are helping the bear; is really killing the bear. She might not feel the bears are dangerous - but the parents next door, with young children, probably would not feel the same way. Those parents would be quick to call and report any bear that got too close to their kids. Mary Musselman was busy planting the idea in the bear's head that people should be associated with food - she might as well have just pulled the trigger!
Did you ever think by "helping" one animal you are depriving another of food.
That is how the food supply works....hawks, coyotes and others have to eat too.
Last edited by Driller1; 02-09-2014 at 10:28 AM..
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