Bear attack in yellowstone...double standard?

[Jennasis]

So there was a bear attack on some campers in Yellowstone Nat'l Park. Terrible thing. One person killed and two others wounded. Here's the story: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66R5VK20100728

So here's my questions. They launched an all out search for the bear.

WHY?? Can I assume tax payers foot the bill for the search?

When someone is attacked by a shark and maimed or killed, no "all out search" is ordered for the shark (ala Jaws). It's just an unfortunate event. So why is this bear being hunted down? Frankly, the humans were in the bear's backyard. It is a terrible tragedy but I cannot understand why the hunt for one animal but not others.

BTW, the bear WAS caught (a mother with her cubs) and put-down. A wild animal, doing what wild animals do...eating "weaker" animals who wander into their territory or who harass them, and it gets put down for it.

When surfers get attacked by sharks (like the little girl who lost an arm) they never blame the shark.

 

[abdmom]

The bear attacked three people within a very short time, all on the same day. If not put down, it would have killed more. It dragged these people from their tents. Normal wildlife does not do that. Just like a normal shark does not drag people from the beach. They already had a wildlife attack response team in place for just such an eventuality. Sounds like it didn't take much time for them to find the bear. To me, it sounds like money well spent.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Not that I agree...
But if they plan on letting people continue to use the bear's back yard---there might be liability should a bear known to have killed did so again.

Oceans are kind of a free for all space. Govt will close an area if too many incidents occur. But I guess that is too much to ask that Yellowstone be closed.

It is very unfair to the wildlife.

Here---gators are put down if they are a nuisance. But they can live in any body of water. They are also legal to hunt in a specific seasonal period--so the idea to save it is not as pressing.
Gators can even get into swimming pools.
There was one in frontierland at MK. Darn thing just couldn't be caught.

What they do with them depends on their size and if it has caused harm.

If people have been feeding the gator---more than likely it will be put down.

 

[Jennasis]

I guess I just have a problem with people using the bear's backyard for recreation and then being surprised when the bear (that sounds suspisciously like it was protecting it's cubs, but with the first guy deceased, there's no telling what may have provoked the attack) attacks a human. This is why I don't swim in the ocean or go hiking/camping.

Why couldn't they have relocated the bear and her cubs? There was no mention on rabies, or disease/injury that may have caused the bear to act out.

And while sharks don't steal people off the beach, they DO attack in shallow water. In fact there are quite a few Great Whites hanging out a couple hundred yards off the shore in Florida right now.

 

[mumom95]

Because we have set up these national parks throughout the country that we encourage tourism, we charge people to use. Our country has basically turned these nature places into a family destination. And with doing that, the country is going to keep them as safe an environment as possible.

We haven't done that with the ocean. Our government doesn't charge admission to use the ocean. So basically, you swim at your own risk.

 

[diznygirl]

A "Sharks are Being Treated Better Than Bears" thread? That's a first for the DIS, right?

I would think that They determined that the bear was dangerous and they took an appropriate course of action. And yes, sharks get hunted down all the time after an attack, but they are a lot harder to find.

 

[TDC Nala]

Despite "Jaws" it's a bit more difficult to find a shark. You have to wait until he shows up again.

You can suggest eliminating camping in the woods for humans because that's where the bears live...but that won't happen. A bit like eliminating swimming in the sea because there are sharks there.

 

[Silent1CB]

This is why people should never feed wildlife. It teaches the animals to come into campgrounds looking for food, where naturally the animals would avoid the humans.

And when humans don't provide food, the animals don't know how to hunt, so they go looking for food in campgrounds. Leading to being hit by cars.

Relocating an animal who doesn't know how to hunt for itself also does the animal no good.

Please do NOT feed wildlife.

I don't know what happened in Yellowstone, but when I heard about it, my very first thoughts were food in the tent (HUGE NO NO) or rabies. Not much else a bear would want from sleeping people.

 

[golfgal]

 

[skater]

Why? Because that bear would likely attack again.

And because people are more important than animals. I know that many people don't agree with that statement, but I stand by it.

I know that people do stupid things around wild animals (I've witnessed some really dumb things), but you can't allow a bear that has attacked people - and in this case, unprovoked (at least by those people), to do it again. I love nature, but I would kill the most endangered species in the world if it was going after someone I loved. Or even someone I dont' love .

I wish our country had set aside more land for the wonderful predators we've always had.

 

[JoiseyMom]

From what I have heard on the news, is that Bears dont hunt humans like predators. Usually when bears attack it is because they run into the humans unaware in the woods and the bear goes into protect mode, or the bear smells food. This bear hunted these people, it was different and therefore they "experts" feel that the bear was "off". She was not acting as they usually do. Since this is the case they put her down. They also caught her cubs, and they will be living out their lives in a zoo somewhere.

As horrible as it may seem to some, humans, as inhumane as some are do come first.

 

[skater]

Joisey Mom - you put it a lot smoother than I did. ITA

 

[mickeywho?]

From what I have read there was something "off" with that bear. They interviewed one of the victims on the news here. She had done everything right - food packed away high up in a tree a good distance from her site, clean campsite with anything that could possibly have a scent locked away in her vehicle. She was an experienced outdoorsperson who had come in contact with bears before - usually on trails or sniffing around a site. She stated that this bear was silent...did not search through the site...came quietly to her tent and then bit down hard. She only managed to survive by playing dead. She said it was very eerie - like the bear had been hunting her.
That bear would have continued to attack. The officials had no choice. The cubs will be relocated so they will have a chance to survive. As sad as it seems to kill an animal that was only doing was animals do...this was justified.

 

[tiggger1]

From what I have heard on the news, is that Bears dont hunt humans like predators. Usually when bears attack it is because they run into the humans unaware in the woods and the bear goes into protect mode, or the bear smells food. This bear hunted these people, it was different and therefore they "experts" feel that the bear was "off". She was not acting as they usually do. Since this is the case they put her down. They also caught her cubs, and they will be living out their lives in a zoo somewhere.

As horrible as it may seem to some, humans, as inhumane as some are do come first.

they didnt put the cubs down? I heard that they had to put the cubs down also because they learned to hunt humans from their mother...

 

[SaraJayne]

This is why people should never feed wildlife. It teaches the animals to come into campgrounds looking for food, where naturally the animals would avoid the humans.

And when humans don't provide food, the animals don't know how to hunt, so they go looking for food in campgrounds. Leading to being hit by cars.

Relocating an animal who doesn't know how to hunt for itself also does the animal no good.

Please do NOT feel wildlife.

I don't know what happened in Yellowstone, but when I heard about it, my very first thoughts were food in the tent (HUGE NO NO) or rabies. Not much else a bear would want from sleeping people.

Rangers said all the food precautions were properly followed...no food in tents, etc. and the bears attacked unprovoked.

THAT is why they were hunted down and killed. Attacking sleeping humans, unprovoked, is not normal animal behavior.

 

[DisTeach1]

Jennasis...Your post shows your complete ignorance of how "normal" wild animals act. A mother bear with 3 cubs will not willingly seek out humans, but will do everything she can to avoid them. She will only attack if threatened or if her cubs are provoked.

This bear took her cubs into a campground in the middle of the night where there were large groups of humans and dragged at least one from his tent and they then fed off him.

That is in no way normal for a wild animal, and her cubs were learning some very unfortunate lessons. She later returned to the campground to hunt some more.

Your comparison to the shark is an extremely poor comparison.

 

[kacaju]

We haven't done that with the ocean. Our government doesn't charge admission to use the ocean. So basically, you swim at your own risk.

Government doesn't charge, but here in New Jersey the towns charge you to use the ocean...and they won't do anything to protect you from a shark!!

 

[MM27]

Jennasis...Your post shows your complete ignorance of how "normal" wild animals act. A mother bear with 3 cubs will not willingly seek out humans, but will do everything she can to avoid them. She will only attack if threatened or if her cubs are provoked.

This bear took her cubs into a campground in the middle of the night where there were large groups of humans and dragged at least one from his tent and they then fed off him.

That is in no way normal for a wild animal, and her cubs were learning some very unfortunate lessons. She later returned to the campground to hunt some more.

Your comparison to the shark is an extremely poor comparison.

I think what you're missing is the fact that humans, maybe not those that were actually attacked in this instance, are causing bears and other wild animals to feel they can get closer and closer. All it takes is one or two idiots that think it's cute to feed the bear or want their picture closer to one and the bears start associating humans as a food source. So yes, the bear in this case did something that was not normal bear behavior, but humans are causing that irregular behavior to occur.

Look at the lady that was charged by the bison recently in Yellowstone. Articles are written claiming "poor woman charged by bison..." but what they neglect to mention is that her idiotic friend went into an area that he was not supposed to be in and got the animal all wired up. I don't feel sorry for people at all in that situation.

 

[luvmy3]

This is why people should never feed wildlife. It teaches the animals to come into campgrounds looking for food, where naturally the animals would avoid the humans.

And when humans don't provide food, the animals don't know how to hunt, so they go looking for food in campgrounds. Leading to being hit by cars.

Relocating an animal who doesn't know how to hunt for itself also does the animal no good.

Please do NOT feel wildlife.

I don't know what happened in Yellowstone, but when I heard about it, my very first thoughts were food in the tent (HUGE NO NO) or rabies. Not much else a bear would want from sleeping people.

I know this is a serious thread but this really made me laugh.

I think what you're missing is the fact that humans, maybe not those that were actually attacked in this instance, are causing bears and other wild animals to feel they can get closer and closer. All it takes is one or two idiots that think it's cute to feed the bear or want their picture closer to one and the bears start associating humans as a food source. So yes, the bear in this case did something that was not normal bear behavior, but humans are causing that irregular behavior to occur.

Look at the lady that was charged by the bison recently in Yellowstone. Articles are written claiming "poor woman charged by bison..." but what they neglect to mention is that her idiotic friend went into an area that he was not supposed to be in and got the animal all wired up. I don't feel sorry for people at all in that situation.

I feel sorry for her because her friend is an idiot and she got charged.

 

[Silent1CB]

Government doesn't charge, but here in New Jersey the towns charge you to use the ocean...and they won't do anything to protect you from a shark!!

Not that I think this is why... but I need to ask.
Here, they charging you for parking to use the beach. It is free to walk onto the beach & use it.
NJ charges to walk onto a beach and into the water?

National Parks have a fee even if you walk or ride your bicycle in.