Maryland can support 5 million people, but apparently 500 bears is a few too many!

[astro]

The killing of an 84-pound female black bear cub during Maryland’s first black bear hunt in 51 years has been met with much public outcry.

The killing of an 84-pound female black bear cub during Maryland’s first black bear hunt in 51 years has been met with much public outcry. Certainly it is emotionally unappealing to consider shooting and killing an animal that, in many people’s minds, resembles a cuddly baby Teddy bear.

But if you accept the notion that Maryland’s black bear population, estimated at more than 500 animals, needs to be curbed, then killing the cub is a responsible way to accomplish that. Consider the following:
Twenty bears were killed in the state’s single-day hunt. Compare that with the death of 17 bears this year on state roadways and $50,000 worth of property and crop damage in western Maryland attributed to bears last year and it doesn’t seem so out of line to cull the population by hunting and killing such a strictly limited number of bears.

A Maryland Department of Natural Resources spokesman said 80 percent of the bears --16 in all --were killed on private property, which indicates the hunt met to objective of targeting animals that venture onto private lands and create havoc.

Killing a young bear is not morally reprehensible because the act likely left its mother with one more cub to raise, since bears are often born as twins; if on the other hand, the mother had been shot and killed, her cubs would likely starve to death, unable to fend for themselves. Since there is no way to distinguish a male from a female adult bear at 40 yards away, there is no way to know if a targeted adult bear is a mother with cubs. But killing a cub virtually guarantees no babies will be left behind to die.

Since bears have no natural predators --other than humans --to control their population, as their numbers increase, so does the likelihood of more human-bear encounters in which an unarmed human does not stand a chance. In that event, the public outcry would probably shift to demanding protection from the renegade bears that will likely begin infiltrating residential areas in search of food and/or shelter as their natural habitat shrinks.
Many people find hunting reprehensible regardless of circumstances, and they are entitled to that opinion. But Maryland’s bear hunt was conducted in a tightly controlled manner designed to minimize trauma to both bears and humans. Tactics such as labeling the hunt a “slaughter” or “trophy hunt” are designed to influence and manipulate people via their emotions rather than logic or sound reasoning.

As long as Maryland avoids sanctioning wholesale slaughter that would decimate the species, along with unfair practices such as baiting and setting of traps, scheduling an occasional hunt to be held primarily on private lands is probably the best way to keep the state’s bear population under control.

[OtakuLoki]

astro, you are aware that bears have a bad reputation for not doing well sharing habitat with humans, right? A very large percentage of bear attacks are done by bears that have lost their fear of humans while they rooted through trash and garbage (or worse, while getting handouts) near human housing. It’s all very well to talk about how great bears are, but do you want one living anywhere within 5 miles of you?

[asterion]

@OtakuLoki

astro, you are aware that bears have a bad reputation for not doing well sharing habitat with humans, right? A very large percentage of bear attacks are done by bears that have lost their fear of humans while they rooted through trash and garbage (or worse, while getting handouts) near human housing. It’s all very well to talk about how great bears are, but do you want one living anywhere within 5 miles of you?

They can get themselves in trouble even without having lost their fear of humans. It’s probably been 15 years now, but one year when the food sources for the bears were bad due to drought and other problems, a bear came out of the Sandias into the extreme eastern end of the city, climbed a pole, and electrocuted itself.

I’ve got nothing against bears, but humans and bears don’t share space very well. You use bear bags for a reason, after all.

[OtakuLoki]

@asterion

I’ve got nothing against bears, but humans and bears don’t share space very well. You use bear bags for a reason, after all.

I didn’t mean to imply I wanted to blame the bears, either. Unfortunately we’re not allowed to shoot the people encroaching on the bears’ habitat. It is a situation that is hard to balance no matter how you look at it.

[ParentalAdvisory]

Bears need to eat to, damnit!

[Captain_Gutgore_Blooddrink]

I agree with Maddox.

John Hirsch was minding his own damn business in his back yard when a black bear had the audacity to assault him in his own home. Hirsch pulled out his 3 inch knife and called the bear on, circling him like a wrestler in a ring. The bear kept swatting at him, but Hirsch ducked, then stabbed the bear in the face each time it lunged. When the bear finally had enough of its shit ruined, it finally gave up and died like a pussy: its tongue was severed, jaw broken and it had several new assholes ripped into it, making it more aerodynamic (if you happen to be optimistic).

Of course, animal rights groups bitched about Hirsch, saying the bear was just looking for food. No shit? I’m sure the bear would have had no qualm about eating Hirsch, and the dumbass animal rights activists would have gotten a huge chubby if the bear had eaten him. I wish a bear would eat them instead.

,
The MeatBeast

[GingerOfTheNorth]

I am a Maryland resident who moved here from bear country. I would rather not share my home with bears. The area I live doesn’t have bears, and I’d like to keep it that way. I like being able to put out my garbage on trash day, I like being able to have the neighbourhood kids play in the street, and I like having a bird feeder and compost if I choose.

It would mightily suck to have one of my friends or neighbours mauled by a bear who was ‘just looking for food’, much as one of my clients was back home.

[Paul_in_Qatar]

I was born in Frederick, Maryland; Maryland’s second largest city. A couple of three years ago the paper was reporting a black bear inside the city limits (darn near downtown in truth).

This would seem to indicate they are becoming a danger.

(I wonder if we can get the Snakeheads to eat them?)

[Oat1957]

There have even been reports of bears breaking through windows to ransack homes. “I’ve heard from people who have been held captive in their homes,” said Mary Beth Pirolozzi, who is an aide to Sen. John J. Hafer (R-Allegany) and handles the office’s bear complaints.

Washington Post

We had a black bear walking along Main St. last year and we’re closer to Baltimore than Western Maryland.

[Otto]

[obligatory Simpsons reference]

We’re here! We’re queer! We don’t want any more bears!

[/obligatory Simpsons reference]

Hunting sucks.

[bouv]

“Book ‘em, Lou. One on account of bein’ a bear, and one on bein’ an accesory to bein’ a bear.”