Steve Searles stresses the “Dont’ Feed the Bears” mantra.
With bears awake and about in the Mammoth Lakes area, Wildlife Specialist Steve Searles gave a report to the Town Council last week. Searles explained a situation with a “special needs bear.”
Searles said there is a little cub wandering around the south Old Mammoth area. The bear, he said, is about 15 or 16 months old. Searles said he has received something like 50 calls about this cub. He said, “Some felt sorry for him. He has no mother. So, they gave him food.”
Searles said this is not the right thing to do and has led to problem behavior. He said the cub went into a house, jumped up on the table and ate half of an apple pie. He said the day after that, the little bear went into a house that was open, stole a loaf of bread, and ran.
Searles explained that there is plenty of natural food for the bear – grass and an abundance of dandelions. Said Searles, “Don’t feed him. If this continues, the bear will lose his life.”
That is the mantra during active bear season. Feeding bears habituates them to human food and leads them into conflicts with people. Don’t feed the bears.
Discover more from Sierra Wave: Eastern Sierra News - The Community's News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
lets order him a pizza and leave it out. If everyone in town takes a turn ordering and leaving a pizza it wont cost one person very much and the cub will be fed well.
Poor bears, they just don’t understand what they do .. they’re just trying to make a living …. once they acquire a taste for human food, they loose interest in anything else, and search out the easy fixins.
(knocking on wood) My dog has been doing a good job keeping this bear out of the yard (he’s a good boy!!!!). However this little poor bear is very brave, desperate is probably a better description. I’m not too optimistic about this little guys future.
You can always count on the one caliber of mind that exists today to get in their digs in against “Obummer” as “J. Counts” and others on this blog so often like to do. I guess it helps them sleep better at night. Gone temporarily insane at the two-time election of an ambiguous rather than conservative president, and dangerously mad at the world, these poor souls appear to be on self-destruct mode willing to take others down with them. Not unlike what was happening during the Civil War days.
Justifying intense anger against all forms of government, believing they and they alone understand the Constitution and unbending in their old-time ideology, they are having a problem finding a Tea Party candidate who will lead America into what they believe will be better times. They think group think and mob rule and will someday rule the day.
I say, if they ever come up with somebody who will unite rather than divide America or can develop a rhetoric stronger and more logical than the usual “All you have to know is liberals are causing all the problems of the country”, I may even vote for them.
LOL Dr. I knew that was coming. But didn’t you know … the liberals are ruining the country .. hehe .. yeah right. They aren’t doing it on their own, they are getting a lot of help from the conservatives.
“I knew that was coming…” jokes Big Al.
Of course he knew. He himself loves to throw out childish insults and has often used the term “Obummer” countless times on this blog.
And this childishness is sadly what is passing for “civil dialogue” today.
J Counts…..or we could do it the “Romney-Hood ” way…..only care about the bears with the big bank-rolls,and the heck with the rest of em…..
So let me get this straight….
Mr. Obummer can give the humans free McDonalds and Subway in the form of ATM cards and vouchers because we “feel bad” for them… but we cant feed the bears because “nature MUST run it’s course?” LOL!
OK. Got it! Makes perfect sense!
Sorry for the Troll. For the record, I don’t feed bears… and I think the humans should fend for themselves too! Otherwise, lets feed everyone and every beast!
Apple Pie sounds much better than grass or flowers, but you are right do not feed the bears,
Please feed your own family and leave the bears alone! Yes, they’re beautiful animals and makes you want to care for them but nature has to run it’s course! If a bear is struggling, I’m sure Steve will do what’s best (what’s in his power) for the bear.
Pretty much just signed this bear’s death certificate people! This bear had been hanging around my house a couple weeks ago and he was very well behaved. Now he’s a problem bear cause of the hand outs. So sad
CL,
Thank you for the Bear education. I never have and never will make food avaliable to a Bear.
Now I am a city person with reduced ignorance.
Thanks
I’m no “bear expert”,but still don’t understand as to why they handle this type of situation the way they seem to do….either way,don’t sound like it’s going to turn out too well for this bear cub.If people feed it,it will eventually lose it’s fear of people,and will end up being a problem…and get killed.If they leave it to be,on it’s own,it will probably starve,since it has no mother….why not do like they do in just about every other area that has a situation like this one…dart it,and either keep it untill it can fend for itself…or release it into the wild.In L.A.County,up in Tahoe,and in the Northwest Oregon area,and other places,Washington,Alaska,Montana,Idaho,Wyoming,etc.,just about the only time a bear is put down,it’s because it’s become a dangerous problem..What it seems they are doing here.with this one,is allowing that to eventually happen.If it can fend for itself,as Mr Searles says it can,dart it,and take it way up into the wild….or let the Tahoe people take care of the situation,if the authorities here don’t want to handle it the correct…and humane way.
duh, some people need to move back to the city
Don’t feed or kill the bears! =