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| Posted: 30 Jul 2008 9:42 PM | ||
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Northern Minn. officers shoot bear with jar over head
A bear with a plastic jar over its head led police on a six-day chase through the forests of Hubbard and Becker Counties before it was shot and killed, state wildlife officials said. Officials had hoped to capture the wild black bear - whose head got stuck inside a 2½-gallon plastic jar - but decided to shoot the animal after it wandered into the city of Frazee during the town's busy Turkey Days celebration. "When it got into town, our main concern was public safety," said Rob Naplin, the Department of Natural Resources' area wildlife supervisor in Park Rapids. The bear was foraging for food, perhaps at a Dumpster, when its head got head stuck in the clear, plastic container. Naplin said he wasn't sure of the container's original contents but said it looked like a jar for bulk candy or popcorn. While the bear could breathe, it couldn't eat or drink and was likely suffering from dehydration and hunger. "I'm sure there was high anxiety and frustration with its predicament," Naplin said. "It is (a sad story)." There was no evidence the bear was baited by hunters, Naplin said. The legal baiting season doesn't open until Aug. 15. The bear season opens Sept. 1. The bear, with the jar on its head, was first reported near the town of Lake George on July 21. The next day it showed up at Itasca State Park near some Dumpsters and DNR officials deployed a trap made of a steel barrel to try to catch it and remove the jar. The bear wouldn't enter the trap, however, and was last seen Wednesday night on the park's east side, the jar wedged on its head over one ear. "We attempted to locate a dart gun to tranquilize it, but it left the park," said Naplin, who estimated the bear was about 2-years-old. "It was on the move." The next day, the bear was spotted at a Boy Scout camp on Many Point Lake about 15 miles southwest of the park. By then, the DNR had two wildlife and four enforcement officers looking for the animal. The bear showed up next in Frazee, where conservation officers decided it needed to be killed to avoid conflicts with humans. By then, the jar had slipped down over both of the bear's ears. "You don't want it knocking over a kid or getting hit by a car," Naplin said. "Showing up in Frazee escalated the urgency of dispatching it." _________ That’s no burglar ... it’s a bear Bruin helps itself to shrimp, fruit and dessert By Scott Condon The Aspen Times Aspen, CO Colorado 7.29.08 BASALT — Mike Miller was prepared to confront a burglar in his Willits home Friday night. Miller, who was home alone at the time, stepped out to get the mail at about 9:30. He exited his open garage and was re-entering the same way when he heard a noise he interpreted to be a burglar rummaging through drawers and cupboards. He figured someone walking along Willits Lane slipped in during the brief time he was out. So he entered his house, rounded the corner and came face to face with a big black bear. “I just ran. I wasn’t ready to fight a bear,” Miller said. The bear had opened the sliding freezer door and was helping himself to shrimp and fruit. The bruin was as startled as Miller when they discovered one another, and Miller said the bear might have left the kitchen for the garage. Miller hightailed it the other direction, out into the back yard. He looked in a window and saw the bear back in the house. It discovered Chips Ahoy cookies and fruit in his roommate’s bedroom closet. He gobbled the cookies before returning to the kitchen on a quest for more food. The bruin found a bag of chips and assorted other goodies. The bear ate like a pig, said Miller, and left a mess. While out in the yard, Miller called authorities, and a Basalt officer responded. The bear wandered off without further incident around the same time the officer arrived. Miller said the bear had two red tags in each ear and a white collar. That fits the description of a large male seen numerous times in the Willits/Sopris Village area over the past two weeks. The bear has been tagged by the Colorado Division of Wildlife for being a nuisance. Under the wildlife division’s policy, a bear with two strikes for entering homes or acting aggressively in encounters with humans is killed if captured. District wildlife officer Kelly Wood said she had previously set a trap for the bear but didn’t have any luck catching it. She said midvalley residents should take the same precautions as upper valley residents by not providing any type of opportunity for bears to score food. That means putting garbage out on the day of pickup or using bear-proof containers, cleaning grills, not leaving pet food outside and taking precautions with doors and windows. Miller advised closing garage doors at night — and avoiding confrontations. __________________ ............................................
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