The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) announced yesterday that wildlife authorities needed to euthanize a young black bear after somebody (or potentially more than one someone) purposefully and consistently fed it. It’s illegal to feed bears either directly or indirectly, ODFW said in a press release, and doing so can lead to a criminal citation.
The ODFW’s report suggests a worker at a local vehicle dealer in or near Home Grove, south of Eugene, Oregon, fed the bear on more than one occasion.
“In March, ODFW and Oregon State Authorities served a regional car dealership and worker with an alerting to stop feeding the black bear,” the press release says.
We do not know whether the staff member stopped after the caution, but it was far too late. The two-year-old male black bear continued to roam Home Grove, approaching individuals and their homes, trying to find free food.
“ODFW and Cottage Grove Police Department supplied info to homeowners and cautioned individuals not to feed the bear,” ODFW stated in its press release. “Bears that are fed by individuals lose their wariness and can become aggressive and posture a danger to human safety. In this case, the bear was being intentionally fed, had actually become food-conditioned, revealed no worry of people when approached, and eventually began approaching people, probably for food handouts.”
ODFW invested 3 weeks attempting to catch the bear, but then, things took a turn for the even worse. Previously today, the bear cornered a female who was trying to get in her house. Then, it took a nap on her neighbor’s front porch. This isn’t typical behavior for wild black bears, and habituated bears can become aggressive towards humans.
“At the request of ODFW, the bear was killed by Oregon State Cops on Monday night, April 1,” ODFW states.
District wildlife biologist Chris Yee informed ODFW: “This is not the outcome anyone wanted. The actions we needed to take were a direct outcome of people purposefully feeding this bear.”
Do Not Feed Bears
You’re not assisting a bear by feeding it. Bears are capable of foraging for food on their own. Bears that get handouts from people keep in mind and might begin to seek them out. Your handout could cost the bear its life, or it could cost human life, if the bear becomes aggressive.
Here are ODFW’s suggestions for living or recreating in bear country:
- Never feed or approach bears
- Secure food, garbage, and recycling
- Remove bird feeders in bear habitats
- Never leave pet food outdoors
- Clean and store grills after each use
- Alert neighbors and wildlife authorities to unusual bear activity(continued sightings during daylight hours, lack of wariness around people or family pets, and so on)
For more details on the ODFW’s tough decision, see its press release.
Wildlife officials euthanized a young black bear after somebody deliberately and repeatedly fed it. Here’s the story.