| Thoughts on BearsNBC15 Blog Listing | |||||
|
Recent Blog Topics
|
||||
Save
Email
Print
|
Earlier this week, I did a story on a bear in Mauston that received much attention from area people and officials. According to the homeowners, the bear tore into their trash can to get at some birdseed. They tried to scare it away, but it would not leave the food. Finally a Sheriff's deputy arrived, blew his siren and scared the animal away. Since the bear showed no aggression, officials are not taking action. This reminds me of a situation I reported on in Wyoming. Basically, a guy was walking through a bear sanctuary in Yellowstone National Park. He was subsequently attacked by a grizzly. The bear could have killed him. But it chose not to. However, it did beat him up pretty good. It turns out the man walked too close to a elk carcass the bear was guarding. Since the bear showed aggression towards the man, it was hunted down and killed. In a live on-air interview with a Game and Fish Department representative (that is Wyoming's version of the DNR), I expressed my concern. I said, "Explain to me how this is right. The bear was just doing what bears do. The human, who's supposed to be the smarter of the two, knew this could happen when he entered bear habitat. He went to the bear, the bear didn't come to him. Why did the animal have to be killed due to the person's mistake?" He coldly responded by saying that anytime an animal shows aggression towards people it has to be taken care of. Since the animal in Mauston moved into a development, I agree that any aggression needs to be dealt with. But, I would just hate to see this animal killed because a stupid person takes a chance and gets too close. |
| Post Your Comments |
|
|
| Read Comments |
|
Posted by: Matt Location: Stoughton
Jake- If you are going to take Darwinism to it's logical conclusion then there is no room to be an animal rights activist or for that matter, have a concern for any living thing at all. In fact, to be that way is to be a hypocrite. Survival of the fittest means stomping out ALL the competition from other species. There is absolutely no room for compassion or kindness in this type of thinking. Natural selection means only the "strong" survive. It is a blind, random process. Thinking this through, that also means even within your OWN species (the human race), the "weak" are supposed to die off and not dilute the gene pool. Are you suggesting we shut down all hospitals and cease all medication? Not the kind of world I envision. Perhaps God is saying Darwin had it wrong. Posted by: Jake Location: Madison way I see it, someone, in the wild, gets eaten/ mauled/ attacked... it is just God's way of saying "Darwin was right!"! obviously if you are in the woods and you get hurt out there, you either 1) don't belong there, 2) aren't supposed to live because evolution has determined you unfit to survive, or 3) you're just too darn stupid to live if you can't figure out that there are wild animals in the wild that will not act civilized if you interrupt them doing what wild animals do! Um... duh! I also think we should maim people who maim and multilate animals just to cause pain and torture. eating an animal is one thing, killing it because you're a jerk should get you the same you dished out! Posted by: Vince Location: Green Bay The Bears Still Suck! Sorry couldn't pass that up (as in Chicago Bears) Posted by: Mike Location: Madison My what a bunch of double standard humans we are! We have humans, on motorized snowmobiles, and others using spotlights, bats, and cameras to record the kills, of animals in the wild... of ducks, who are literally harmless to no one unless you are covered in croutons, or popcorn, or algae... who show aggression to another species, yet we don't hunt them down and kill them... and didn't someone say WE are the smarter animals in all this? second, very seldom, in all my experiences as a hiker, tourist, angler, or hunter, have I ever "stumbled upon" a wild animal eating on a footpath used by humans, or mating on a walking trail, or ... well, you get the idea. someone was walking through the woods when they came upon an animal? really? as opposed to, say, swimming in the ocean or lake and coming upon a fish? Lastly- seems to me that purposely feeding a wild animal negates all claims you were unprepared to deal with the animal acting like an animal- feed the wildlife, get what you deserve! Posted by: Deb Location: WI Just like the story years ago with the crazy person crawling in the polar bear cage at Vilas Zoo and the bear had to be killed. People need to be held responsible for their dumb actions. Posted by: Cindy Location: Western Dane Love the story from the first blogger! I was in Yellowstone in 2003 when a man was attacked by a bear and it was mating season. It was a little scary in the fact that we were coming from dinner while they were running around with the truck tracking the radio collar...apparently we had just missed it running through the area with the guest lodges! Large wildlife and humans are rarely a good mix, but humans need to RESPECT wildlife. If there is any aggression, the animal does need to be dealt with but people need to be smart about not leaving food sources out etc too. Hopefully they will not need to destroy this animal, but we need to keep people safe as well. Posted by: Matt Location: Stoughton Chris- Getting potentially aggressive wild animals used to people by putting out food, etc is just plain stupid. Years ago there was actually a restaurant near Winter, WI that did this so the patrons could watch the black bears. They even had photos on their walls of people and bears in close proximity. Talk about asking for a lawsuit! On the other hand, coming across a wild animal in the woods and surprising it is sometimes just going to happen. That reminds me of a story. There were two guys out hiking in Pacific Northwest and they came across a female grizzly and her cubs. The bear reared up on it's hind legs and began to growl- showing obvious signs of aggression and possibly an attack. The hikers froze. Slowly, while keeping an eye on the bear, one of them carefully took off his backpack and pulled out a pair of tennis shoes. "Are you nuts?!" said his buddy, "You'll never be able to outrun that bear!". "Don't have too" he replied, "Just have to outrun you". |
 |
Weather Authority
Watch your local weather 24/7. |
 |
|
 |
News Links
Looking for something you saw on NBC 15? Find it here. |
|
|
 |
Double Dollar Deals
Experience our area's best restaurants at a Half-Off price. |
|
|
 |
Golf Double Dollar Deals
Experience our area's best golf courses at a Half-Off price. |
|
|
 |
Family Double Dollar Deals
Experience our area's best businesses at a Half-Off price. |
|
|
 |
What's On?
Click here to see our program guide. |
|
|
 |
Perfect Home
Find out how to make your perfect home. |
|
|
 |
The Health Professional
Find answers to your health questions. |
|
|
 |
Madison's Biggest Loser
Click here! Find out how you can sign up and change your life! |
|
|
 |
NBC15 Share Your Holidays
Click Here! Find out how you can help raise 3 million meals! |
