Post by bigskyscott on Aug 17, 2006 19:50:50 GMT -5
HUMANS TO BLAME FOR DEATH OF OL'141
Exposure to human food doomed grizzly bear
When the plunger fell on an oversized hypodermic needle Monday, grizzly bear No. 141 took his last breath.
The 500-pound bruin had been euthenized, put to sleep like a giant dog .But his march toward death started much earlier, when sombody in the West Yellowstone area allowed him his first bite of human food.
It's a common story, one that happens all too often.
"This poor old bear was just kind of hooked on people food", said Kevin Frey, bear management specialist for the Montana Department of Fish,Wildlife and Parks.
The bear was 20 years old, his teeth were in poor condition and he'd probably made all the contributions he could to the genetics and size of a greater Yellowstone National Park grizzly population. His life was nearing it's end.
Still, his death illustrates the dangers of allowing bears to obtain human-related food, whether its garbage, bird feeders ,horse feed or dog food.
"It's an example of how easily all this can happen", Frey said.
Judging by the numerous scars on his face, Frey said, No 141 had probably been a dominant bear for much of his life, fighting other bears to protect his territory and the breeding opportunities that come with dominance.
But throughout this summer,and possibly last summer, he had been obtaining human food left unattended in the subdivisions north of West Yellowstone.
Then he started breaking into garages and sheds,seeking more treats. That happened six times this year.
"Bears can smell, and they know where the food is", Frey said.
After he broke into one garage for the third time, managers made the tough decision to trap the bear and kill it.
The bear had worked at night and tended to avoid people. But in these circumstances, human saftey could quickly become a factor.
"Surprising a bear in your garage or even in your house is not the best scenario", Frey said.
Relocating him wasn't an option, either, as he would likely just find more homes to raid someplace else.
"Somebody would inherit the problems created someplace else", Frey said.
The 20-year old male isn't a good candidate for placemant in a zoo, either, so the decision was made and the bear died.
Most people living in grizzly country do a good job taking care of their garbage and other attractants. But it only takes a couple mistakes for a bear ... especially a very young or very old one...to learn to key in on people and homes as a food source.
Feed a bear this year, and in a couple of years you or a neighbor could have major problems, Frey said.
The West Yellowstone area isn't the only place with garbage problems.
In Big Sky, 59 percent of wildlife-resistant dumpsters inventoried in July by the Big Sky Bear Aware Group were improperly closed.
In most cases the dumpsters simply weren't latched.
But in others, somebody had dismantled the locking mechanism.
Several dumpsters had been held open with bungee cords and one behind a restaurant was propped open with a mop handle.
Most people try hard to secure their garbage . Others, particularly newcomers, are unaware of the need, and some just don't care.
Frey said he doubts anybody in West Yellowstone was feeding bears on purpose.
"I think most of it was unintentional", he said.
But No.141 is just as dead. And he isn't the first.
" We've been down this same path numerous times,"Frey said.
Exposure to human food doomed grizzly bear
When the plunger fell on an oversized hypodermic needle Monday, grizzly bear No. 141 took his last breath.
The 500-pound bruin had been euthenized, put to sleep like a giant dog .But his march toward death started much earlier, when sombody in the West Yellowstone area allowed him his first bite of human food.
It's a common story, one that happens all too often.
"This poor old bear was just kind of hooked on people food", said Kevin Frey, bear management specialist for the Montana Department of Fish,Wildlife and Parks.
The bear was 20 years old, his teeth were in poor condition and he'd probably made all the contributions he could to the genetics and size of a greater Yellowstone National Park grizzly population. His life was nearing it's end.
Still, his death illustrates the dangers of allowing bears to obtain human-related food, whether its garbage, bird feeders ,horse feed or dog food.
"It's an example of how easily all this can happen", Frey said.
Judging by the numerous scars on his face, Frey said, No 141 had probably been a dominant bear for much of his life, fighting other bears to protect his territory and the breeding opportunities that come with dominance.
But throughout this summer,and possibly last summer, he had been obtaining human food left unattended in the subdivisions north of West Yellowstone.
Then he started breaking into garages and sheds,seeking more treats. That happened six times this year.
"Bears can smell, and they know where the food is", Frey said.
After he broke into one garage for the third time, managers made the tough decision to trap the bear and kill it.
The bear had worked at night and tended to avoid people. But in these circumstances, human saftey could quickly become a factor.
"Surprising a bear in your garage or even in your house is not the best scenario", Frey said.
Relocating him wasn't an option, either, as he would likely just find more homes to raid someplace else.
"Somebody would inherit the problems created someplace else", Frey said.
The 20-year old male isn't a good candidate for placemant in a zoo, either, so the decision was made and the bear died.
Most people living in grizzly country do a good job taking care of their garbage and other attractants. But it only takes a couple mistakes for a bear ... especially a very young or very old one...to learn to key in on people and homes as a food source.
Feed a bear this year, and in a couple of years you or a neighbor could have major problems, Frey said.
The West Yellowstone area isn't the only place with garbage problems.
In Big Sky, 59 percent of wildlife-resistant dumpsters inventoried in July by the Big Sky Bear Aware Group were improperly closed.
In most cases the dumpsters simply weren't latched.
But in others, somebody had dismantled the locking mechanism.
Several dumpsters had been held open with bungee cords and one behind a restaurant was propped open with a mop handle.
Most people try hard to secure their garbage . Others, particularly newcomers, are unaware of the need, and some just don't care.
Frey said he doubts anybody in West Yellowstone was feeding bears on purpose.
"I think most of it was unintentional", he said.
But No.141 is just as dead. And he isn't the first.
" We've been down this same path numerous times,"Frey said.