Obligations Versus being "Bear Aware"

 Obligations Versus being "Bear Aware"

Colorado euthanized 63 Black bears so far in 2022.

The "Bear Aware" information program and those like it are good. Government agencies and NGOs are right to help let folks know they may encounter Black bears and how to minimize undesirable interactions. No one wants their tent torn apart, car broken into, or backyard bird feeder smashed. Yes, all very good.

What we haven't done yet is to proactively obligate people to minimize unnatural and habituating human-bear activities. For example, trash cans that aren't bear-proof, chicken coops that aren't electrified, and suet hanging during the spring. I am specifically calling out exburanites, farmette folks, and vacation homeowners for picking bear county for its "naturalness" but then complaining to the authorities when the creatures of nature come calling.

This past summer a rural family in Wisconsin experienced a break-in. The intruder was a bear and the interaction ended in death. Thankfully no humans were hurt. But if the home, in bear country, was fortified against intrusion, then the story wouldn't have happened. As it did, news of the homeowner's fatal stabbing of the bear made headlines. House fires with dramatic rescues make news too. Alas, it's too bad that news of the insurance agents and building inspectors don't earn notoriety for the fires that don't happen.

In the US Department of Agriculture there is a unit call the Animal Health and Plant Inspection Service (APHIS). APHIS is the group whose duties include hazing, relocating, or euthanizing wildlife that are getting into peoples affairs. According to their report for 2021, the federal service intentionally euthanized 421 black bears. I wonder what the internally billed account shows for expenses? For comparison, the service intentionally euthanized 15,096 red-winged blackbirds, 9,003 wild white-tailed deer, and 253 bullfrogs.

The surface data did not distinguish between actions at ranchettes or actually ranches and the like. But at any rate, that is a lot of bears. If you are a farmer or rancher whose income actually comes from your operation, then I understand your calls to the government. If you live or own property at rural addresses, then you need to accept all that comes with the peace and quiet and wildlife.

Animal interactions must be recognized as part of the price of living "in nature" (as an aside, to live in the city is to live in nature too, it's just a different type of nature, but I digress). As a civil society, we need to insist that those outside the municipal limits (but not actual farmers) make undesirable wildlife intrusions near impossible. If raccoons are raiding the guinea fowl hutch, or bears are breaking into a garage for dog food, then that's a foul on the human. It's predictable and therefore must be prevented.

A familiar prayer has a line that states, "lead me not into temptation." The prayer also includes the call to not tempt others, they are equal efforts. I interpret that as a mandate for people to live in a way that doesn't put wild animals in situations that may lead to their loss of wildness or worse, their life.

PS: this post was drafted in September 2022 for an intended October publication