Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Do Not Feed Bears

This is a health issue for humans, because bears are large wild animals that can be dangerous to your health, but also for bears.

4&20 Blackbirds explains how five bears in Montana had to be euthanized because they'd become too accustomed to humans. They'd apparently grown too accustomed to humans because a human was feeding them on a regular basis. That'll do it, all right.

Humans need to be wary of bears, and we need bears to be wary of us. When they aren't, it's easy for them to realize that we're small and soft and potentially edible, and then, in the name of protecting ourselves, we have to kill them.

This doesn't do anyone any good, except people who hate bears. And I'm not talking to them.

Do not feed bears.


The opportunity rarely arises in Massachusetts, and no doubt few of my adoring fans will ever have the need to refer back to this advice, but seriously, just leave wild animals alone.

Looking at bear feeding from the other side, Healthbolt has a post up about "How to avoid being dinner for a bear." Perhaps it's Bear Theme Day.


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