Don't Feed the Bears

Running campgrounds, this is the hardest thing we still have to teach people.  Do not feed the wildlife -- you are killing them.  Example from Yellowstone:

On Wednesday, Montana biologists euthanized a female grizzly that had taken to eating human food in the West Yellowstone area, frustrating a state bear expert with campers' failure to secure their food, reports The Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

"It is always frustrating to have to make this type of decision and remove a bear for things that could have been basically prevented by people," Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks bear specialist Kevin Frey said on Thursday.

 

5 Comments

  1. L Nettles:

    I'm pretty sure there is an analogy to Congress and the Federal Budget buried in that story

  2. richard:

    > Montana biologists euthanized a female grizzly

    ???

    Was the bear terminally ill or something?

  3. LoneSnark:

    Yes. It was terminally attracted to people food.

  4. IgotBupkis, President, United Anarchist Society:

    1) OK, sorry, can someone please explain what the issue here was that led to NEEDING to kill the bear?

    2) When you anthropomorphize animals endlessly and to every possible degree turn them into "humans", then how and why is it hard to grasp how people can't see a problem in general with doing this?

  5. Hasdrubal:

    I would guess that a large, wild omnivore with big teeth and claws who has learned that campers = tasty morsels is potentially very dangerous to said campers. Therefore, authorities killed the bear _before_ it mauled some innocent DINKs while searching for pic-a-nic baskets.