Fate of bears entirely up to nature
By Mona Mattei
The fate of up to 15 bears who were being fed by a woman in Christina Lake, possibly as guards for a grow op, is in the hands of nature. The woman involved with the July 30 marijuana bust on her property has been feeding bears for years. Neighbours near her residence have often been worried about the potential problems that come with human-habituated bears, and now the problem is wrapped up in crime. Conservation Officer (CO) Dave Watson estimates that there are anywhere from 10 – 15 bears on the property who may have been fed. Although neighbours claim she has been feeding the bears for many years, Watson said that his office has only officially been involved once. At the time, the woman was ordered by the conservation office to stop feeding the bears, and Watson said that the feeding did stop. For Watson the current situation with the bears is two-pronged: first the issue of feeding wildlife has to be established and stopped, and second, what to do about the bears. “We have to assess and deal with the bears that are there and determine if there are any that are completely habituated to the site or if there are any that are on the peripheral who can move on and make it on their own,” said Watson. Regional District Director for the Christina Lake area, Grace McGregor, said she has known the woman, Kate (last name has not been released), for 35 years and has never known her to be involved with the drug trade, although many people were aware of her history of feeding the bears. “We all know that she had a relationship with the wildlife. All I’ve ever known of Kate is that she is very kind, very close to nature, and enjoys the kind of life that she leads. I think what’s really important is the bear issue and the fact that once again it becomes a discussion about whether a person should be feeding wildlife,” said McGregor. “It puts the animals at risk at the end of it all. I understand that Kate fully knew what she was doing and was doing it with all the best intentions. However, once again the ones that are threatened are the bears.” Martin Mersereau, spokesperson for People for the Ethical Treatement of Animals (PETA) agreed that the people who do feed animals need to have more information on the implications of what they are doing. “If they knew that ultimately what they are doing will cause harm or bring these animals into harm’s way, surely they would stop. But I don’t think they understand the concepts of habituation. “People are not adopting a big picture view of the (feeding issue). By bringing (wildlife) into proximity of people who will be cruel to them, people who view them as nuisances and would kill them – wildlife feeders are bringing these animals into harm’s way. If there’s one thing at PETA that we’ve said, and will go on saying, is never feed wildlife. You cannot feed wildlife without blood on your hands.” The bears may go back and start foraging on their own, but that will likely depend on the degree of their habituation, explained Watson. Some of bears may, once they run out of food at the property, easily return to their natural patterns but for others who may have been feeding for an extended period of time, or even from when they were cubs, it will be difficult for them to break free and return to the wild. “We basically are going to have to monitor (them). The CO service will take responsibility for any bears that show up in other people’s yards looking for food and end up doing property damage or causing a safety risk, and those bears will be dealt with accordingly. “I don’t enjoy destroying bears, its part of the job that I do and public safety is our number one concern. Its unfortunate people sometimes feel, with best intentions, that they’re doing the bears a favour when the exact opposite is happening. Feeding bears does nothing but end up probably resulting in that bear’s death.” Neighbours in the area should be aware that these bears are going through this change, and Watson said that people who live in the area need to monitor their property. “We would definitely want people to be extra vigilant if these bears start showing up and causing a threat or property damage. Then we’ll be taking action to get those bears out of the area.” If you are experiencing any problems with wildlife the conservation service can be contacted at 1-877-952-RAPP which is available 24 hours a day.
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