April 20, 2000 Ravalli Republic by Joel Olinghouse, of Hamilton: Where do grizzly bears go to sleep? First wrote this column for the Republic in 1997 With the pending deadline for comments on grizzly bear reintroduction, he offers it again.
When I read about the Grizzly bear "reintroduction" plan, I am reminded of the old question and answer: "Where does a grizzly bear sleep? Answer: Anywhere he wants to."
It's true! A grizzly bear can eat and sleep where it wants to. An example of this is an old grizzly in October of 1975 that got himself in big trouble in the Swan Valley. He not only wrecked My summer cabin twice, but ran-sacked six other trailers and cabins. He was finally trapped in my yard, and hauled all the way to Spotted Bear River in thc Flathead for "relocation." He was subdued with three cc's of tranquilizer, tagged, measured, given a lip tattoo, photographed and released. The Fish and Game people, in their great wisdom, had already documented the grizzly was old, with bad teeth and unable to eat his natural way. This is why he was a raider of cabins and trailers. immediately upon his release he broke into a hunter's camper. Two weeks later he was back in the Swan. He traveled about 70 miles over the Swan Range, crossed rocks, logging roads, the Swan Highway and the Swan River.
All without the benefit of an established "corridor." Why?
Because he wanted to! 'He enjoyed eating and sleeping in the Swan. After a week or so in the Swan he was never heard from again. I suspect as the:result of a local policy called "shoot, shovel and Shut up."
With this in mind, why do the
environmentalists insist" on spending millions of hard
earned dollars to "re-locate" bears. who are probably happy where they are?
Once re-located; it is only a matter' of time before conflicts develop between recreationalists,
ranchers, land the bears. Guess who gets the added, and expensive protection? The bear
does!
If there are enough bears where the relocates intend to trap them, they can't be too close to extinction. Bears don't care about expensive Environmental Impact Studies. They know nothing of corridors. Trapping and hauling them around makes them cranky, and who needs a cranky bear in his camp? I think we should leave them alone.