When it comes to wildlife, we seem to be a nation of do-gooders. Unfortunately, often the result is no good, even bad and sad with a little despicable thrown in for good measure.
This comes with our anthropomorphic Yogi/Smoky bear mentality, such as stories of the Smokies camper/father who smeared honey on his 3-year-old?s cheek so that a black bear would lick it for a photo-op. Or the husband out West who went into a field for a photo-op with a reclining bison. He kicked it to make it stand up ? for a better photo, of course.
There was no damage with the bear experience. With the bison, the husband got stomped into the dirt. His wife had a photo-op, but not the one desired.
In Maryland and most other states, we have DON?T FEED THE BEARS (or wildlife) rules. It causes problems in western Maryland, where we have increasing populations of bears ? and people moving into bear country. More bears is also why we now have a hunting season, re-enacted in 2004 after 50 years.
This bear/human contact was a big problem last July for a sow that was euthanized by Department of Natural Resources biologists. With wildlife, euthanization is the euphemism for getting shot. The sow left three 6-month-old cubs that hopefully were old enough to survive. The bear was fed inadvertently by the careless actions of campers.
Bears don?t need help shopping for food. Bears were fine before there were people, living in uninhabited areas before we learned how to grow fruit or make granola bars.
It was these items that got this particular sow into trouble when campers stored granola bars and fruit in their tent vestibule, according to Karina Blizzard, associate director of the DNR Wildlife and Heritage Service. The bear stole the goodies and set the scene for her death.
Earlier, she had become accustomed to people having food. Despite the best DNR efforts to change her habits with rubber bullets, pepper spray, chasing dogs and even relocation, it did not work.
Blame the July campers, ignorant in ignoring the law and thoughtless enough to store food in a tent, for her death. But also blame those who, with earlier similar actions, conditioned the bear to associate people with food and food with people.
This summer season, let?s get the word out: DON?T FEED THE BEARS. In fact, let?s not feed any wildlife ? they are better off on their own. Hopefully, those three bear cubs ? now 1 1/2 years old ? did not learn the people/food connection from Mom.
Hopefully, the cubs and others in the bear neighborhood can be left alone to forage as they do it best ? in the wild. Fruit and granola bars are best stored to prevent bear/human contact and conflict. That even applies to porridge, as in the anthropomorphic Goldilocks fairy tale.
Classic kiddies tales aside, wildlife is just what the name indicates ? wild, and best left that way.
You can reach C. Boyd Pfeiffer at [email protected].
